The Sound of Change
by Light-Sound
Summary: A young mercenary raised in Fairy Tail has been away from home far too long. So he sets his sights to Magnolia and his beloved Fairy Tail, wondering what has changed in the 12 years he's been gone. Along the way he meets new friends and reunites with old. And perhaps even finds love in the most surprising way. Join Breeg and witness his tail in an epic story of adventure & family.
1. Reflections

Breeg counted out the amount of Jewel in the wallet he had just received from finishing a job. Satisfied with the amount, he left the mansion of the man who had hired him. What had his name been? Fullchart, or something like that.

_'A fitting name for the owner of a shipping company.' _Breeg though to himself, smiling.

Mr. Fullchart had hired Breeg to take care of some bandits that had been robbing his land trains on their routes. He had found them near a pass that was on the routes to all of Fullchart's eastbound shipments. He had borrowed a few empty wagons from Fullchart's possession and drove them until he reached the pass. He remembered hiding in one of the middle wagons as he heard the bandits descending from the cliff face and began searching the wagons. He grinned when he thought of the shock on their faces when they opened the flaps on the wagon he was waiting in and when he sprang out.  
It had turned out that the bandits were not only thieves, but wanted murderers as well. So he was more than happy when he discovered he could receive double the reward on the single job. Two birds with one stone, as it were.

Breeg walked for several miles before he stopped for the evening. He looked out towards the now setting sun.

"This drought has been rough on the farmers this past year" He mused. "Hopefully it'll pass soon. Fiore has gone for too long without rain."

He continued to gaze at the sun until it had disappeared under the horizon. He lit a fire and began to cook some dried fish he had bought. He smiled to himself as he thought of a certain little blue someone that would probably love some of this if he was around.  
The fish quickly turned golden, and Breeg took it off from the fire. He never thought much of dried fish, but when one lives on the road, you have to eat the food of the road. He remembered the first time he had ever eaten it. It didn't have the most pleasant taste, but it was edible so long as he had something to wash it down. Afterwards he started experimenting with it, because just plain, unprepared dried fish wasn't something he wanted to eat often. And after much trial and error, he found the way he enjoyed it most was fried in honey. Unfortunately, honey was hard to come by, so he found butter was a decent substitute.

'_Or really anything that'll give it a bit of juice.' _He thought to himself.

After he had finished his meal, he packed away his cooking supplies and laid out his bed roll. He pulled a cover over him, because even though it was hot with the drought, that didn't keep it from getting freezing at night.  
After he had settled in for the night, he rolled over to face East. He always liked facing East. That's where his home is, after all. He began to think back to the grand hall he had called home for those five years, and the friends that made it his home. He thought about them, and wondered how they had been doing these past twelve years.

"Twelve years... It doesn't seem like it's been that long. I wonder if they receive the letters I send them? I really should send them more often, but it's hard finding time since I'm constantly on jobs..." He said to himself.

He continued to think about them, and the money he had just received from his double job. He had enough to last him for awhile, and probably wouldn't need to go on a job for some time.  
With these thoughts in mind, he made his decision. He looked out East where his beloved Home Town and Guild Hall were.

"I miss you..." He said slowly. "Magnolia... I'm coming home!"


	2. East to Home

Breeg woke up the next morning well before the sun rose so he wouldn't bake in his blankets from the unforgiving sun. He began to break camp and put all of his belongings away. He soon got into the rhythm he had grown accustomed to over the years when he would pack his things. He smirked as he thought about when he was younger he had a morning routine too. He would wake up pretty early in the day, and do a few stretches before going downstairs to meet Erza for sword practice. He would train with her for about an hour, then they would come in and Mira would give him some breakfast, and they'd talk until he finished his meal.

'_Such a simple routine_.' Breeg thought with nostalgia. '_But it was enough for me.'_

Breeg's routine hadn't changed much over the years, he realized, as he was going through his own. He would always wake up early, do a few stretches to limber his joints up, and then he'd practice with his sword for about half an hour. He rarely had time for breakfast nowadays though.  
After he was done, he slung his pack onto his shoulder and took a deep breath of the still cool morning air. He then lowered his head and looked Eastward.  
No... Homeward. Because now, after all these years, he was heading home. Maybe for good, if he could find the necessary work. Chances are they wouldn't allow him to take the S-Class jobs he was accustomed to, but he did lead a modest life style, and often he was left with more than he needed. He would always give the extra away though, and he'd gone in need a few times because of it. There were times when he was in need of a healer or food but he lacked the funds. Still, he never regretted it.

Breeg shook his head. He'd never get anywhere if he didn't start moving. So he began his journey Eastward toward Magnolia. He planned on catching what rides he could along the way, but knew he would spend most of his time on foot. With that in mind, he knew he had several days journey ahead of him, if there were no delays. But he didn't mind. He always liked to take it slow and enjoy the world around him. He didn't get to do that near often enough.

"I really don't have time to do much anymore" He said to himself. "That's probably not a good thing since I'm as young as I am. Maybe everyone's right, I should take breaks more often. Kara is always on my back to take a break. I'll bet she'll be happy to know I'm taking one for the first time in five years."

Breeg laughed softly to himself, thinking of how Kara was always griping at him. Not just about taking a break, about everything. She had sort of been a mother to him over the past few years.

"_You should eat more, you know. And I'm not talking about dried fish, that can't be good for you to eat all the time_".

Breeg smiled as he remembered that day. He had come in Kara's with blood streaming down his left arm. He had gotten into a fight with a thief who had stolen a woman's wedding ring. And before he had time to render the thief unconscious, he had pulled a long knife out from it's sheath and stabbed Breeg clear through his upper arm. With the knife still in his arm Breeg whirled around his opponent and hit him at the base of the skull with the butt of his sword. He returned the ring, and then told the bystanders to turn him in to the proper authorities.  
Kara took him to one of the rooms of her Inn and treated his wound with her healing magic. She wasn't the best magician, but he trusted her with his life. He lay there for two days, unconscious from blood loss. When he finally woke up there was Kara cleaning the bandages she had just changed.  
He smiled as he remembered the conversation that had happened following that:

"You know, you should eat more, it's not a good sign for you to be passed out for so long over such a small thing. A man your age should be able to lose that much blood and still whoop a Vulcan. Not to mention you're thin as a rail." She said without looking at him, her long dark brown hair hiding her face from the side. She was a tall and strong woman, but still fair. Her motherly personality evident in her care for his wounds.

"Nice to see you too, Kara." He said attempting to get up with some effort.

"Hey, none of that now. You are gonna stay here for at least two more days before you leave. And then I want you to take it easy on that arm until you're able to raise it past your shoulder without any pain, you got it?" She said, leaning him back down onto his pillow.

"But I gotta go out there and whoop that Vulcan for ya, don't I?" He said with a forced wink.

"You should've thought of that before you got yourself stabbed, shouldn't you have?" She said as she stood back up.

"Yeah, you're probably right, as usual." He said, giving up.

"Good. I'm glad you know that much." She said him with a smile.

"Yeah, I doubt I'll ever forget it either." He replied.

"Yeah, you better not" she said as she retrieved the bowl with the used bandages in them. "I'm going to get you something to eat. And not dried fish for once." She said as she walked toward the door. Breeg smiled when she said that, knowing his habit for only eating dried fish because it was so cheap and lasted so long.

Kara stopped at the door. "Breeg?"

"Yeah, Kara?"

"...Don't worry me like that, okay?"

Breeg smiled warmly at her. "Yes, ma'am. I'll try not to."

She sighed. "I guess that's the best I can hope for. Rest up now. And I mean it, no sneaking out the window. I'll tie you down for the next two days if I have to."

"Yes ma'am." Breeg said with a smile, knowing she meant it.

Breeg snapped back to reality as he heard the sound of a river coming up. He looked out to the distance and saw it not too far away. He ran over to it and refreshed his canister after he drank from the flowing water. It was cool and refreshing but tasted like... blood.


	3. Sword and Fang

Breeg quickly drew his hand-and-a-half longsword. It's blade gleamed in the light as he stood and looked further up the river. His vision was blocked by trees and rocks along the river bank that quickly grew into a forest. He crouched down and started making his way further up the river, keeping low and stepping lightly.  
It didn't take long before the river grew red with the blood he had tasted before. After a bit more, he began to hear something. He stopped and stayed low. After verifying the sound wasn't getting closer, he crept on, trying to be as quiet as possible. After moving forward for a few more steps, he smelled blood heavily in the air. He looked through the bushes and saw the carcase of some kind of animal on the opposite bank. He listened and didn't hear anything. He cautiously stood up and looked around... Nothing.  
He began to wade through the bloody waters toward the carcase, being ever watchful, and listening for anything, but all he could hear was the sound of the water flowing, and he didn't see anything but the surrounding flora. He couldn't smell anything but blood either.  
He quickened his pace as he crossed the river. As he reached the other side, he began to look over the carcase. After a quick examination, and still having no idea what animal it _used_ to be, he grabbed it by what he thought were ribs, and dragged the body out of the water as best he could so the blood would stop flowing into it. After he saw the water was clearing up quite a bit more, he began to walk away. But after he had taken a few steps, he suddenly stopped, his ears tightening. He heard something behind him. He didn't know if it was a threat or not, so he slowly reached for his sword hilt. Just as he laid his hand on it, he heard something that sent the hair on the back of his neck on end; A low growl. He slowly turned his head, and out of the corner of his eye, saw a wolf.

"_... I need to time this just right._" He thought as he watched the animal out of the side of his vision. He could see it was pacing in front of the carcase. He knew Breeg had seen him, and Breeg knew he was assessing him. But this mutual truce didn't last long, as the wolf suddenly charged toward him. Breeg remained composed for as long as he needed, because he knew the opportunity he was looking for would come. The wolf continued his charge, but then jumped. Breeg smiled. _This_, is what he'd been waiting for. In one fluid motion he unsheathed his sword, spun around and sliced the creature across the neck and chest.  
... Or so he thought. The wolf fell to the ground, but Breeg could see his sword had done next to nothing. He quickly realized he was facing a steel wolf. Breeg had heard of them and their impenetrable hides, but he was never quite sure if it was true.

"_I guess I'll just have to find out._" He thought with a grin. The wolf charged again, and Breeg was ready for him. As the wolf lunged, he spun around to the side and jabbed his sword straight into his rib cage. It was ineffective beyond knocking the wolf off it's trajectory. The wolf stumbled when it landed, but quickly regained composure. Breeg could see fire in it's eyes. It was clearly infuriated by it's prey now.

"_Ah, but who is the hunter, and who is the hunted, little wolf?_" Breeg thought as though to speak to the wolf. The wolf continued to stare at him with his fiery eyes. Ones that soon turned to blood lust as he prepared to charge for a third time. Breeg saw this and prepared himself. Once the wolf charged, Breeg waited for him to lunge.

"_I can go like this all day, wolf. I will find a weak spot on you._"

As the wolf lunged he ducked and sliced at it's underbelly. Just as hard as the rest of his hide. The wolf lunged again, and Breeg side stepped and sliced backwards at it's hind legs. Nothing. Again the wolf charged, open mouthed and teeth bared. Breeg moved aside and just held his sword out. He suddenly heard a yelp from the wolf. And when he turned around he could see it was bleeding from it's mouth where his sword had cut his gums. Breeg smiled from under his mane. "_Found it._"  
The wolf finally realized it was getting nowhere with lunging, so instead it decided to do a fake out. He ran forward and halted as though he were about to lunge, and he saw the human prepare for it. "_Got you now_", the wolf growled to himself. Instead of jumping he continued his charge and tried to take a bite out of the human's hand. But the human was faster than he anticipated, and he pulled the nasty, shiny stick in the way. But the wolf still hit it as hard as he could, and he saw it went flying. He was now in between the human and his stick.

"That's not good." Breeg said aloud. He noticed the wolf made a sound like it was laughing. Breeg prepared himself for the next strike. The wolf charged, and so did Breeg. As they ran toward each other, Breeg waited until he was close enough so the wolf couldn't counter react. And when that moment arrived, he leaped over the wolf. the wolf tried to bite him as he flew over head, but he couldn't reach him.  
Breeg hit the ground rolling, but he got back up on his feet and ran towards his sword. The wolf saw this and began to run after him. Breeg heard him behind him, and knew the wolf was faster. But he continued to run, and focused only on his sword. As soon as he was in range he dove for his sword, grabbed it by the handle and swung it around to face the wolf. But as soon as he did he heard the sound of steel cleaving flesh. He focused on what he was looking at, and he realized he was staring into the eyes of the wolf. He backed up a little, and saw his sword hilt and the hand attached to it protruding from the maw of the wolf. The wolf just stood there. Astonished it had been defeated.  
Breeg pulled the sword out of it's mouth and the wolf fell over, staring at it's slayer. And then it suddenly spoke, in a low growling voice.

"_Well done, human._" It said while panting. "_I have faced many of your kind in my life, but none have been as impressive as you._"

"Well done yourself. No one has ever made me lose the grip on my sword before." Breeg assured the wolf, a little shocked it could speak.

At this the wolf laughed. "_I see. You must be a fine warrior indeed. I am not ashamed of being defeated, if that is the case._" He continued between breaths. "_In honor of this battle, I wish to leave you with something. An enchantment for your sword._"

"What kind of enchantment?" Breeg asked.

The wolf smirked. "_A magic warding spell. Whether or not this will be of any use, depends on you alone._"

"I understand." Breeg responded.

"_Good. Now, present your sword in front of me._"  
Breeg did so. After he had, the wolf let out a low howl that sounded like a song, and a flowing light poured forth from it's maw. He watched as the sword glowed brightly as it was bathed in the creatures magic.  
After the wolf had finished it's song, the light faded, but Breeg saw the sword was noticeably brighter than it had been before.

Breeg picked up his sword. He examined it, then asked "How will I know how to use it?"

The wolf chuckled. "_That is for you to discover for yourself._"

Breeg nodded to the fallen creature. Suddenly he noticed the wolf's breaths were growing further apart and his eyes began to grow dim.

"Is there anything I can do for you in exchange?" He asked the wolf earnestly.

"_Only let my body lie in the dust of the Earth. I was born of the Earth, now let the Earth have me._"

Breeg nodded, and then stood up. He waited in reverence as the wolf's life ebbed away. Breeg left soon after, respecting the wolf's wishes to be left alone. But before he did, he pried a tooth loose from his mouth, as a reminder.  
He continued on out of the forest at a quickened pace as he continued his journey Eastward.

Homeward.

Fairy Tail, and all of his friends, were waiting.

* * *

**Hey Guys, Light-Sound here. You may have noticed I posted these first three chapters all in one day. I'd like to say right now this probably isn't going to happen often.** **I just had a good flow of story, so I just wrote. So there may be days I post several chapters, or it may be days before I post. It depends on how satisfied I am with a chapter.**

**But anyway, thank you so much guys for reading this, I hope you enjoy and keep reading, because there's still plenty more to come. Reviews are welcome, I 'd like to hear what y'all think so far.**

**Until next time, cheers guys! ;)**


	4. No Rest for the Weary

Breeg continued to run across the landscape until sunset to try and make up for the time he lost in the forest. But unfortunately it was already late in the day, and he hadn't gained as much ground as he would have liked. Soon the time came that he usually would start to hunker down for the night. He slowed his running to a stop, and wondered if he should keep running, or just stop and rest now.

"I don't feel all that tired, but that could change pretty quickly if I keep going." Breeg thought for a bit more on this, but soon decided it would be best if he kept moving and just slept later. After he made this decision, he began moving again. Slowly at first, but he slowly picked up speed. He went from a walk, to a trot, to a jog, to a run. He continued on well into the night. Every now and then he would hear an animal in the dark, but he kept moving and didn't stop. He wanted as few delays as possible, if any at all.  
He continued to run all through the night, not stopping for anything. He didn't think he was gonna run all night, but he was thinking about home all while he ran, and that gave him the energy he needed. He hardly even realized how quickly the time passed as he ran, because before he knew it there was a light on the horizon.  
When Breeg saw the sun rising he slowed to a stop. And suddenly realized how tired he was. He looked around to see if there was somewhere suitable for him to lay down and rest, and after a bit of searching he saw a large rock he could rest against for the better part of the morning without being in the sun. So he made his way over to it so he could rest. He plopped down on the ground and leaned against the rock. He was too tired to think about eating. He just wanted to sleep. He didn't even care if he slept all through til next morning, he had made more than a days progress in just those few short hours.  
So he leaned back against the rock, and let sleep overtake him...

* * *

Breeg suddenly awoke to clashing noises. He lazily blinked open his eyes and yawned. He sat there for a minute, wondering why he was awake at this hour. He squinted with one eye and looked at the shadow of the rock. He'd been asleep a little more than an hour.

"Not near long enough." He grumbled to himself. But then he heard it again. Clashing sounds. He cocked an eyebrow and stood up slowly. He popped his back and shoulders, then stretched as best he could. Then he lazily grabbed his sword and walked around the rock. He leaned on the side of it and shielded his eyes from the sun with his free hand. He looked out but couldn't see anything. He leaned his sword against the rock then wiped his eyes with both hands. After that he looked back out over the landscape. After a bit a group of figures came into focus.

"How many... two maybe? However many it looks like they're-" He yawned. "-chasing someone. That's not nice." Breeg said. He looked a little closer to see if he could make out any details. "Who would wear that much clothing in this heat?" He wondered, referencing the one being chased. He began to walk over there, his sword in it's sheath dragging the ground as he held it. As such he trudged over, not thinking clearly because it was too early too be thinking...

* * *

"_Oh great, I thought the bandits in this region had moved on!_" Kisune thought to herself. "_They're probably chasing me because they think I look cute, because I sure don't look like I have any money. Augh, men!_" Yes, she was a fairly attractive young woman. She was a little shorter, around 5' 7" with mid-back length purple hair, green eyes set in a slightly rounded face, and she had a nice figure to round it all off. But no one could really have known that for all the robes she was wearing. The bandits were chasing her because they thought she looked like a monk, and the monks in this region always have a little gold on them. Whether it be for luck, or as a religious artifact. They could care less if she was man or woman.  
So in case you haven't guessed by now, Kisune is a bit of a narcissist.

"_I'm not sure how long I can run for. But if I can make it into the next town, I should be safe._" She assured herself. But these thoughts didn't last long as she tripped over the hem of her robe. She cursed as she fell, driving surprise from her pursuers, as the monks were supposed to live clean lives.  
Kisune tried to get up, but it was difficult underneath all the robes. She could hear her pursuers getting closer. She gave one last ditch effort to get up, and succeeded. Not that it mattered, because they grabbed her before she could start running again.

"Alright, monk. Give up your gold nicely, and we won't have to rough you up." the one that grabbed her sneered.

"_Monk?_" Kisune thought. "_So they weren't chasing me because I'm cute?_" She thought, slightly disappointed. But she was snapped back to what was happening as she felt her arms being pressed against her back. She yelped slightly when they did.

"Hey, did you hear that, Naru? I think it's a woman!" The one holding her said as he reached for her hood. But before he had the chance, Kisune had already raised her leg up, and slammed her heel down onto the man's foot. It worked well enough, the man let go of her with a howl, but he still managed to pull her hood back. She tore away from them, but turned around to face her attackers. She looked down and saw the man who's foot she had stomped had been wearing sandals, so his foot was mostly unprotected. She smiled wryly. "That's why you shouldn't wear sandals." She stated.

"Ow! What are you wearing, lady? Heels?!" The man yelled back.

"... maybe." Kisune said, blushing. The men stared at her in shock. Why would anyone wear heels while traveling? On foot no less!  
Finally, the man stood back up straight. "Well, what are you waiting for?" He shouted to his men. "Go get her!" They all nodded, then grinned as they approached her, weapons drawn.  
At this, Kisune pulled a dagger out from the folds of her robes, prepared to fight. The men laughed when they saw that was all she had. But just before they were all about to close in, suddenly everyone heard someone shout "Hey!"  
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound, and what looked like a drunk was trudging towards them, dragging a sword in the dirt behind him.

"That's not very nice." The stranger said, raising a hand to his mouth. "_Is he burping, or yawning?_" Kisune wondered.  
She looked him over as he approached. He wore a maroon shirt under a plain white long sleeved button up shirt, which was undone. He wore jeans, and black sneakers. He didn't have anything else, not a travel pack, not even a sword belt to mount his sheath on. He continued moving toward them. As he got closer, she could see he had rings under his red eyes, and she wasn't sure if his flaming orange hair was that messy all the time, or just because of the state he was in. Either way, it looked kinda like a lion's mane, she noted.

"_Oh yeah, I'd say he's drunk._" She concluded. "_Why else would someone in such a state challenge five men alone?_"

"Oi! You've got no business here, stranger," the one she assumed was the leader called. "So why don't you turn around and march yourself right back to where you came from."

The stranger stopped at this point and looked at him. "What? I'm sorry, I'm having trouble understanding words right now."

"Definitely drunk." Kisune said with all finality, accidentally out loud.

The stranger looked over at her. "What? Did you say I'm drunk? I'm not drunk. Just tired, is all." He stated matter of factly, followed by a yawn. Kisune rolled her eyes. That was the fakest yawn she was sure she had ever heard.

"Tired, you say?" The leader laughed at this. "Then you should be easy to dispatch. Bilga, Bulgo! Restrain the woman." Before Kisune had time to react, two men, who looked surprisingly alike(she assumed twins), had grabbed her arms and restrained her. Meanwhile the other two, plus the leader, began advancing toward the stranger.

"_They're gonna clobber him!_" Kisune thought urgently.

The stranger squinted in their direction as if to put them into focus, but he never moved from his position. After taking a few steps, the three other men stopped. The leader gestured towards the stranger- "_I'm just gonna call him Kazu._" Kisune thought to herself- The leader gestured toward the newly named Kazu with his sword, and the other two charged at him. Kazu saw this, and stood up straight. She noticed his sword was still in his sheath though. "You idiot, take your sword out!" She yelled. Kazu didn't do anything though. He still stood there. Finally the two men got close, and Kazu moved. He somersaulted to his left out of the way, and swung his still sheathed sword backwards at them when he landed. The heavy sheath flew off and hit the one closest to him in the back of the head, rendering him unconscious from the blow. The other looked astonished as Kazu got into a ready stance. The other man quickly regained his composer, and attacked Kazu, but at a slower rate so he wouldn't be moving too fast so he couldn't react.  
He charged Kazu, and leaped, trying to overpower him with momentum. Kazu raised his sword, and the blades struck solidly. The other man then slashed in every which way, trying to break through, but Kazu was fast and blocked every strike. Kisune watched from her restrained position, and noticed that Kazu had raised his left hand. Suddenly he shot it forward and caught the other man's sword arm. The other man tried to break free of his grip, but before he could, Kazu quickly reared his own sword up, and hit him in the shoulder with the butt. His opponent fell to the ground with a thud, clutching his left arm that had gone limp from the hit.  
Kisune was surprised at Kazu's fighting, especially since he was drunk. She smiled seeing how proficient he was with a sword. She looked over to the leader, and her smile quickly faded. He was furious. She saw his face harden at the sight of his men falling. He shouldered the curved scimitar he was carrying, and lumbered over to Kazu. She began to shout a warning, but Bilga slapped her to shut her up. She looked back up, her cheek stinging. Suddenly she was being gagged so she couldn't warn him anymore.  
When she looked back she could see Kazu had turned around, and the two men stood facing each other. They didn't do anything, they just stood there. If they were saying anything Kisune couldn't hear. She was examining their mouths to see if either of their lips were moving, when suddenly the larger man swung high at Kazu's chest. Kazu ducked and swung his own sword at the other man's ankles. Kisune was surprised when the other man back flipped out of the way. She wouldn't have thought he could do that by just looking at him.  
When the larger man landed his back flip, he charged forward toward Kazu. He planned to throw all his momentum and weight into his next hit. Kazu stood there in a defense stance, sword raised high. Kisune looked on wide eyed.

"_There's no way he's gonna be able to stop a hit like that!_" She thought anxiously. "Move you idiot!" She screamed through her gag, but it didn't do much good. All she could do was stare on in horror as the man quickly approached Kazu.  
And then swung...

* * *

**Hey guys, sorry if the fight scenes seem a little long. I promise, they're gonna get to Magnolia soon, most likely in the next chapter or the one after.  
So what do y'all think of the story so far? I hope you're all enjoying it, 'cause there's still plenty to come.  
But yeah, have a great read guys. Cheers! ;)**


	5. Delays

Kisune watched with wide eyes as the larger man swung straight down at Kazu. She looked away. She couldn't bare to see him die. She flinched when she heard steel meet flesh, and then a grunt...

"_Wait... a grunt? He wouldn't have grunted. He wouldn't have said anything!_" She looked back quickly, and what she saw astonished her.  
Kazu was standing facing the back of the man who was now past him. His sword was pointed straight out to the man's back.

"_Is that blood on the tip?_" She wondered as she saw his sword tip was glistening red in the sunlight. She looked over to the larger man, who was just standing there, slightly hunched over and breathing heavily. She saw blood running down and dripping off of his left arm.

"Did you see that?" Bilga asked in astonishment. "That guy moved just before Kayman's blade got to his shoulder! I've never seen anyone move that fast! I thought he was tired?"

"Or drunk." His brother stated, nudging Kisune in the ribs. She looked up and scowled at him.

"Yeah, or drunk. Either way how is he doin' so good?" Bilga asked, a slight hint of anger in his voice.  
Kisune was just speechless. She couldn't believe what she had just heard. How could he move that fast?

"_Is he a wizard?_" she thought to herself. "_I doubt it, otherwise he'd be using magic by now._"  
Finally, Kayman began to move. He slowly turned around to face his opponent. Kisune gasped as she saw the look on his face. His face had hardened, his teeth were bared, his brow was furrowed and there was fire in his eyes.  
Kazu had taken a step back and was holding his sword with both hands, ready to fight.  
Kayman roared in anger then charged. Kazu stood his ground, but raised his sword. This time when Kayman swung, Kazu met the larger man's sword with his own. But as soon as the blades met, Kazu slid backwards a good distance. His feet were still grounded, but there were quite the grooves between where he was now and where he had just been. He looked up and saw Kayman come barreling at him, sword bared and ready to swing. Kazu wasn't sure what he was going to do. But he got his answer as Kayman swung his sword up with one hand and then jumped. Kazu crouched down, and dove underneath his feet. Kayman's sword stuck into the ground when he landed, and he looked behind him for his opponent. He suddenly felt a sharp pain in his right leg. He picked his sword out of the dirt and spun around, swinging as hard as he could on the way. But the smaller man was nowhere to be seen.

"_He must have a spell to turn himself invisible!_" He thought. "You're tricks won't work on me!" He bellowed and began to swing his sword around him wildly in every direction.

"What is he doing?" Kisune mumbled through her gag. She raised an eyebrow as she watched as Kayman swung his sword wildly, kicking up dust all around him. Then suddenly she saw Kazu out the back of the dust cloud, dodging Kayman's swings and throwing dust into the air as he did. When suddenly he reached up and slid his sword along the top of Kayman's right shoulder. The giant stopped swinging wildly, and whirled around, looking for his opponent. He couldn't see through the dust, as was evident because he didn't see that Kazu had slipped around behind him. Kazu then sliced his sword along Kayman's right side. Kayman growled and spun around. Kazu continued to whirl around him and throw dust in the air, slicing at him when he saw an opening.  
Kisune watched on in amazement. Whoever Kazu was, he certainly was smart. She stifled a giggle as she saw Kayman getting more and more frustrated.  
Finally Kayman had had enough. He gripped his sword in both hands, and spun around with it, clearing the air. He had his eyes shut so he wouldn't get any dirt in his eyes, but he opened them when he suddenly felt his blade hit something with a clang. He looked and saw the little annoyance get knocked back. He ran forward and swung at him, holding his sword in both hands. Kazu dodged, so Kayman swung again, all the while walking towards him. Kazu continued to dodge and walk backwards. But he wasn't able to keep aware of his surroundings and fight at the same time since he was so tired. As a result he tripped on a rock behind him and fell to the ground.  
Kisune gasped when she saw Kazu trip. She saw Kayman raise his sword over his head and slice downward. She sighed with relief when she saw Kazu had rolled out of the way. However she could see he was limping when he stood up.

"_He must have hit that rock pretty hard._" She observed, slightly worried. She hoped he would be able to hold out the remainder of the fight. But her worst fears came to life before her eyes just moments later.  
Kazu had blocked a swing with his sword and had stumbled. She watched in horror as a wild grin appeared on Kayman's face as he reared up and sliced downward. She was about to look away, when she suddenly saw Kazu leap aside, spinning around to face Kayman. The look on Kayman's face quickly turned to a scowl as he saw his opponent had dodged. Kisune watched as Breeg reared his own sword up and brought it down on the larger man's sword arm, and then saw Kayman's face turn from scowling, to surprised, to pained. He let out a howl as he let go of his sword and clutched his arm as he knelt in the dust. Kazu circled around to face Kayman, his back to Kisune.

"Hold her, and keep her quiet." Bulgo growled. Kisune looked toward her other captor who was now stalking towards Kazu with a drawn knife. She started to struggle against the man holding her, trying to get free. He pulled her arms further up her back to stop her. She quickly did because of the pain, but knew she had to do something.  
And then the plan came.  
She bent her head forward as if to admit defeat. And then the best thing that could have possibly happened... well, happened. Bilga leaned his head forward and whispered to her "There, that's a good girl." He said with a sneer. Suddenly Kisune shot her head backwards and connected with the man's face. He let go of her arms to hold his nose. Kisune took this opportunity and reached her hand up to undo the gag. She saw that Bulgo was almost there. She was having trouble with the knot, and it was tied too tightly to slide down. Bulgo raised his knife over Kazu's back. Finally she undid that gag and tore it off.

"Kazu!" She creamed out to him, realizing afterwards how silly that was since that was most likely not his real name.  
But she was too little too late, as Bulgo's knife was already on it's way down. She watched in helpless horror as the knife reached Kazu's back... and then flew out of the man's hand in a brilliant flash of light.  
Everyone was shocked, but none more than poor Bulgo. Because Kazu had quickly turned around and had hit him in the back of the head with the pommel of his sword.

"And stay down this time." Breeg said, annoyance in his voice. He turned back to Kayman, who was reaching for his sword. Kazu took a step towards the larger man's sword, and thrust his own sword into the ground... _Through_ the larger man's scimitar. Kayman stood there aghast at what he had just seen. Kazu leaned down and told him something that Kisune couldn't hear. But she saw Kayman nod to whatever it was. After that Kazu stood up and began to walk towards the woman. She was relieved he was alright, although he was still limping.  
But that feeling didn't last long. As she suddenly a hand around her wrist, and a knife at her throat.

"You come any closer and I'll kill her!" He shouted. He sounded angry. "_Probably because I broke his nose._" Kisune thought with a smirk.  
She watched Kazu as he leaned down and picked up a palm sized rock, still walking forward.

"I thought I told you to stay down." He said. The other man looked at him in confusion. Kisune was wondering what he was going to do.

"_Is he going to throw that? He may be good with a sword, but how's his arm_?" She thought anxiously. Then suddenly she remembered something. "_And he's drunk!_"  
But her question was quickly answered as he threw it. She closed her eyes, waiting to feel her own nose break. "_Would that be karma?_" She wondered. She flinched when she heard the sound of breaking bone and cartilage. When she didn't feel any pain she opened her eyes and looked behind her. She saw Bilga holding his face a few steps back. She began to back away when suddenly he reared back up with his knife raised and ran toward her. She gasped when she saw Kazu stride past her and punch the other man squarely in the face. He fell to the ground, unconscious. She gazed at the fallen man and couldn't help feeling a little sorry for him.

"You should go before they wake up." She was pulled back into reality when she heard someone speak.  
Kisune looked up to see Kazu walking toward the first fallen man as he retrieved his scabbard. She watched him continue to walk away, wondering where he was going. She was about to turn away and continue on her way when she saw him turn and walk behind a large rock. She tilted her head and raised an eyebrow. "What is he doing behind there?" She asked out loud to no one in particular. She slowly started tip toeing over to the rock, not wanting to surprise anyone. When she finally got to the rock, she pressed herself up against the side. She edged around to the side, but stopped when she heard heavy breathing. She got curious and slowly peeked around the rock. Only to see her hero out cold leaning against the rock. She looked, and around him was a travel pack and a sword belt.

"Oh, so he did have something with him." She said quietly to herself, smiling.  
She looked out toward her destination. She knew there would probably be more trouble between here and there, and it would be best not to travel alone. So she decided to wait for him to wake up and see if he would escort her to Magnolia.

"I've waited this long," she reasoned. "So I can wait a little longer. What's one more delay?" She began to take her traveling robes off and lay them neatly out on the ground.

"I'll be at Fairy Tail soon enough." She sighed as she leaned against the cool rock, enjoying the time she had while she waited for Kazu to wake up...

* * *

**Hey guys, hope you're enjoying the story so far. A quick note, I might have lied. They may not get to Magnolia next chapter, it could be the one after. It shouldn't be any later than that, since I wanted them to be in Magnolia already, but I thought of interesting things to happen on the way. But we're on our way guys, we're almost there. ;)  
But yeah, thank you all for reading this so far, I really appreciate it. Reviews are welcome guys, so leave them if you have something to say.  
Have a nice day, guys. Cheers! ;D**


	6. Who Are You, Kazu?

Breeg awoke several hours after the fight feeling much more rested. "_I am never running all night again._" He thought as he began to stretch. "_Although, I'm pretty sure I've said that before._" He smirked.  
He raised his arms and arched his back, stretching. He was about to yawn when he suddenly noticed someone else there. He turned to his right, and saw a young woman sitting next to him, leaning against the rock. Her eyes were closed, so he assumed she had fallen asleep. He was looking at her, when he noticed a pile of dark robes lying behind her.

"_She must be the woman from before._" He thought to himself. "_Did I actually tell her to keep going to where she was going, or did I just think that? Either way, she's not the brightest, laying next to a stranger who could rob her in her sleep._"  
He looked at her as she slept. She had rose gold shoulder length hair that rested over her face. She wore a shoulder-less long sleeve shirt that was mostly green, but had white accents. She had short leggings on, white in color. And she was wearing... lime green heels? Breeg scratched his head as he looked her over. "_She has got to be kidding, traveling around dressed like this. She's just begging for trouble!_" He sighed to himself mentally.  
But then he stood up and continued stretching. After he was satisfied with how loose his joints were, he picked up his sword and moved away from the rock. He unsheathed it, then leaned the scabbard against a tree. He got into his usual stance, and began thinking over his last battle as he did. He went through the steps of the battle as he practiced, from the first somersault, to when he thrust his sword through the leader's scimitar.  
He pulled his sword out of the dry ground, then raised it in front of his face. He was about to strike again, but noticed a drop of sweat had fallen on the golden hilt. He lowered his sword, and realized he was almost drenched in sweat. He planted his sword in the ground and proceeded to take his shirts off. He laid them out in the branches of the tree he had rested his scabbard against, then looked up to the sky. Not a cloud in sight.

"What is causing this drought?" He said out loud. "There's never been one like it before." He sighed and looked down to the ground, shaking his head. He shuffled his feet and watched as the dust was disturbed. He sighed again, then got back into his stance. He continued with his sword drills for a good while, as he thought precisely how long it had been since it had rained...

* * *

Kisune yawned a note as she woke up. She blinked awake and looked at the sky. She smiled and slowly started to close her eyes again. But suddenly remembered everything that happened just a few hours ago. She jolted up, remembering where she was. She looked to her left, only to see that Kazu wasn't there anymore. She looked around in a panic and laid her eyes on a figure several yards in front of her. Her eyes grew wide, and her cheeks turned hot.  
She saw Kazu going through sword drills similar to the ones she had grown up watching her fathers men go through every morning. But these ones were much more complex and precise, but with a little flourish. But that's not what had her staring. What had was the man himself.  
Kazu was half naked in front of her, his body glistening in the sun with the sweat he was covered in. And her eyes only grew wider as she looked over what she saw.

"_He must be able to lift a cart by himself!_" She thought to herself in amazement, when Breeg was actually just thinking he should work out more because he had trouble lifting a large flour sack for Kara not too long ago.  
"_And look how tall he is! He must be six foot four at least!_" She thought to herself, gazing at the man, who also had trouble getting said flour sack up onto the top shelf it needed to be on, since he was only five foot eleven. He ended up having to toss it to get it up there. He began to think the only reason she had him do it was to amuse herself. She is head and shoulders taller than him, and much stronger.

Kisune looked on as her beloved hero began to walk over to her. She gazed in awe as he approached her. She leaned toward him without even knowing it. And she almost fainted when he got to her and said...

"Could you hand me the water canister?"

"Huh?" She said almost dreamily.

Breeg cocked his eyebrow. "The water canister, next to you. Could you hand it to me, please?"  
She snapped out of her thoughts. "Oh, sorry. Uhh... here!" She handed him the canister. "Thank you." He responded.  
She looked completely composed, but inside she was bouncing off the walls. "_Ohmigosh, ohmigosh, ohmigosh! He's even polite_!" She said, almost swooning on the inside. But again she was snapped back to reality when she saw him spit out the liquid.

"Ugh. I forgot to refresh it further up the river." He said, looking at his canister in disgust. He tipped his canister over and poured out the contents.  
Kisune wrinkled her nose when she saw the red tinted liquid. "_Oh yeah, I forgot he was drinking. That may be a deal breaker._" She though, slightly disappointed. "_But he did spit it out, so maybe it's not such a big deal._" She thought with hope.  
Breeg leaned down and began to gather his things. He began to lay them in his travel bag, which didn't take long since he didn't have much out. He straightened back up and began to walk back over to the tree to retrieve his shirts and scabbard.

"So where are you going?" He called over his shoulder.

Kisune was slightly off guard at the question. "As long as you're here, I may as well make sure you get to your destination safely." He called back as he pulled his undershirt over his head.

"Uhhh, Magnolia!" She replied. Breeg stopped in the middle of pulling his other shirt on. "Magnolia?" He called back, turning around. "Yeah, Magnolia." She confirmed. "You see, I'm looking to join the Wizard's Guild there-"

"Fairy Tail." Breeg stated as he walked back over.

Kisune looked surprised. "Yeah, that's it. Are you a part of it? I thought maybe you were a wizard during the fight, because you were moving so fast, but I wasn't sure."

Breeg laughed as he strapped on his sword belt and mounted his scabbard on it. "No. No, that's not magic. That just comes from almost twenty years of practice with several very accomplished swordsmen and women." He replied.

"Oh." Kisune said, taken aback. "Well it was very impressive."

"Thank you." Breeg said, smiling at her. Kisune turned red. "_Oh my gosh, he's even got a gorgeous smile!_" She squealed inside. "Uh... don't mention it!" She said nervously laughing as she smiled and waved back back at him.

"So I guess you're looking to join the Guild?" He asked, pulling Kisune back on subject.

"Yeah," she replied. "But if not, then I at least want to see their opinion on my magic ability. I've never had much opportunity to use it, so I don't really know how good I am."

"Well, any mage can be great in my opinion, no matter how powerful. All it takes is a little creativity." Breeg stated. "What kind of magic do you study?"

"Ring magic." She replied proudly. "I've been taught it ever since I was little."

"Ring magic, eh?" Breeg asked. "Well I can tell you, I don't remember any Ring Mages in Fairy Tail, so that'll work for you. But I haven't been there in years, so that might have changed by now."

"You keep talking like you know Fairy Tail pretty well. Why is that?" Kisune inquired, curious.

"I was raised there. That's actually where I began my sword training. Have you heard of Erza Scarlet?" He asked.

Kisune's eyes grew wide. "You were taught by Titania Erza?" She asked incredulously. Breeg nodded, laughing softly when he heard the nickname. But then something else suddenly occurred to her. "Wait a minute, if you were raised there, how are you not a wizard? You were surrounded by magic, didn't you ever want to learn?" She questioned.

Breeg leaned down and started to fasten his pack. "Actually, I did try and learn magic. But I could never focus on anything I was taught. I was so frustrated with myself too. But one day I woke up early and found Erza practicing in the courtyard. I went out to watch her, because seeing her sword fighting was entrancing. She saw me, and came over to the pillar I was hiding behind. She leaned down to my level and held her hand out. After some hesitation I took it. She took me over to a bench, and we sat and talked. She said she had noticed I kept getting distracted from learning magic. I almost cried when she said that, because I was trying really hard to learn. She looked down at me and raised my head up to look at her. She said that it was okay that I couldn't learn, not everyone can.'  
'Then she stood up, and offered to try and teach me to fight. I wasn't sure at first, because I was afraid to let her down because I wouldn't be able to focus again. I guess she read my thoughts, because she told me 'You'll never know what you can do if you don't try.' Those words really struck me. So I got up and asked her to take me as a student. She smiled, and then handed me one of the training swords that were in the courtyard. She grabbed one herself and so began my sword training." He said with nostalgia evident in his voice.  
"I trained hard for the next five years, eventually giving up magic, so I could focus more on training with Erza. There was something about sword fighting that just felt right with me. Whenever I pick up a sword, I feel a drive and focus I don't know with anything else." He said as he raised his own sword skyward. But he sighed as he sheathed it again. "But regardless, I knew I couldn't stay forever. So I eventually left, and when I did I just traveled the country, looking for work and for new masters to train under and teach me things I never knew before.'  
'And that's how I got to be where I am now." He finished. "Saving women from bandits on the road," he said, gesturing towards Kisune.

Kisune just sat there, thinking over what all he had just said. She looked up as Breeg was shouldering his bag.

"And speaking of the road, we had better get going. I'm going to Magnolia as well, so it won't be any trouble to escort you there. Do you want me to carry your... things?" He asked, gesturing to her robes. Kisune looked at them. "No, it's alright, I'll just put them back on." She said as she stood up.

"Are you sure? 'Cause we need to get mov-" Breeg began to say, but stopped as he watched her pick up her robes and swing them on, already prepared to go.

"What were you saying?" she asked from under her hood. Breeg kinda just looked at her, wondering how she did that.  
He shook his head. "Nothing." He said.

"_I'll figure it out later._" He thought.

"Alright, then let's go, Kazu!" She stated.  
Breeg had already started moving, but stopped. He turned back to her. "'Kazu'?" He inquired.

Kisune grew wide eyed, then blushed. "Oh, sorry. That was just the name I gave you while you were fighting. I guess I should ask for your name then, huh?" She smiled, still slightly embarrassed.

"It's fine," Breeg said back. "My name's Breeg. And yours?"

"Kisune." She replied. "But 'Breeg'? I dunno, I think I like Kazu better. I think it matches you better."

"I think Breeg suits me just fine." He replied, slightly offended she didn't like his name.

"Nah, Kazu seems more like the name of a drinker." She stated simply.

"_Drinker?_" Breeg thought. Then he remembered he thought he heard someone say that before the fight. "_I guess that was her._"

"Wait, I thought I told you I was tired, not drunk?" He told her.

"And that's just what a drunk would say." She replied. "But you tell yourself whatever you need to so you can sleep at night. Not that you need any help, I'm sure."

Breeg opened his mouth to retort, but realized they were wasting time. "Whatever. Come one, let's go." He said, as he continued his march Eastward.

Kisune was about to follow when she suddenly remembered the light that had come from him in the fight.

"Hey, Kazu! I just remembered, I wanted to ask you about that light that you shot out at the other guy when he tried to stab you!" She called as she ran to catch up. "If you're not a wizard how'd you do that?" she continued after she had caught up to him.

"Light-based magic armor I picked up on a job a few years ago." He replied. "As long as their is a source of light within a certain range of me, I can fight without much worry of getting injured. However, the impact from something can still hurt. So if that guy had hit me with his sword earlier, it wouldn't have cut me in half, but the impact would still have sent me flying." He turned to her. "Can I borrow your knife?" He asked. She nodded, and handed him the curved dagger. He held it in his right hand, and raised it up to his left arm. He lightly slide the blade across it, but instead of cutting his skin, a light shone forth from it. He handed the knife back to Kisune, and she sheathed it back, looking at him. There was absolutely no sign that there was any armor on him!

"Well that's all well and good for a little slash, but if you really wanna impress me, you'll try and stab yourself, and then we'll see how good your armor is." She stated seriously.

Breeg laughed. "Well it doesn't just work as armor. It also returns the force of the blow back onto the source. That's why that man's dagger flew out of his hand when he tried to make me his new dagger sheath." But he quickly stopped laughing. "Speaking of that guy, man he was a lot tougher than his boss. I'm surprised HE wasn't the leader." He observed.

Kisune looked at him puzzled. "What do you mean? He went down after you hit him once!" She exclaimed.

"Yeah, but that was the third time I had taken him down." Breeg replied. "Not to mention he just got back up and held you captive. I was getting geared up for a longer fight, I was surprised when he went down after I threw that rock at him."

"But those were..." Kisune began to say, but stopped when something occurred to her. "Wait, how many guys do you think you fought?" She asked, wondering if she was right.

"Two, I counted. One big guy, and then a resilient little guy." He replied simply.

Kisune looked shocked. "There were five guys! One big one and _four_ smaller guys. You kept taking out different guys, not the same one!" She almost yelled at him.

"Really?" Breeg asked back, sounding surprised himself. "Well then, those guys weren't near as impressive." He said to himself.

Kisune just stared at him agape. "How could you think there were only two guys? Oh wait, that's right. You were drunk." She remembered.

"I was not drunk!" He replied sternly. "I was tired, I didn't get much sleep last night."

Kisune almost laughed. "Yeah, because you had a long night, I'm sure."

"I did." Breeg replied. But realized what she meant after he looked at her. "Not _that_ kind of long night." He corrected her.

When he said that Kisune thought of what he had meant. "_What other kind of long night could he have had?_" She wondered. Then her eyes grew wide, and she glanced up at him. "_Unless..._" She moved a little further away from him and suddenly felt a little unsafe around him, being the gorgeous woman she was.

Breeg cocked an eyebrow when he saw her move away. He looked at her worried face, and a few things connected in his head. "Not that kind of long night, either!" He said, trying to assure her.

Kisune looked him up and down suspiciously. "Well either way, you keep your distance just in case." She told him.

Breeg sighed. "Alright, if that's what you want." Breeg said as he looked out on the landscape. Suddenly he spied a blessing: a passenger cart! But it was out of calling distance.

"_Not a problem._" Breeg thought. "Kisune, cover your ears." He told her.

"Why?" She asked suspiciously.

"Just do it." He replied. She did, after some hesitation. She watched as Breeg's finger's raised to his lips, and then whistled.  
Kisune shut her eyes tightly and clamped her hands harder on her ears. That had to be the loudest whistle she had ever heard! She opened her eyes again to see Breeg waving. She looked out in the distance, and saw a passenger cart turning and moving toward them. She uncovered her ears, which were ringing.

"Okay, how did you do that?!" She yelled over her ringing ears.

"You don't have to yell, I'm right here." He replied. "And again, that's just something that comes with practice." She wasn't sure if she believed him, but they were getting a ride, so she'd let it go for now. Soon the cart arrived. Breeg told the driver they were going to Magnolia, and payed the price in full.

"_Huh, no haggling._" She thought. "_He must either be too tired to care... or he's rich!_" The thought had never occurred to her, and she remembered why when she looked at him again. No way he could be rich with so few belongings and ratty clothes.  
She never got to finish thinking though, 'cause she was jolted out of her thoughts as the cart began to move. She watched as Breeg put his things down and settle in to his side of the cart. She was getting settled in as well. She was always surprised by how comfortable these carts were. She had just thrown back her hood when she heard Breeg speak.

"So Kisune, what's your story?" He asked as he leaned against the side of the cart...

* * *

**Hey guys! Hope you enjoyed Breeg's back story. Provided the chapter doesn't get super long(which it shouldn't because of what I have planned. It may actually be shorter than usual), they should arrive at Magnolia next chapter.  
But thanks for the views, and reviews are welcome.  
Have a great day guys! Cheers! ;D**


	7. Kisune

"So Kisune, what's your story?" He asked as he leaned against the side of the cart.

Kisune had just thrown back her hood when he asked. She looked up at him. "Excuse me? What's that supposed to mean?" She asked sharply. "_What, is he wondering what a beautiful woman like myself is doing out by myself without an escort? Well, sir, I'll have you know that men aren't the only ones who can protect themselves!_" She thought hotly to herself.

"I asked what your story was, and it doesn't really mean anything." He stated, cocking an eyebrow at her. "We've got a ways to go before we reach Magnolia, and I want to know more about you. You must be able to fight, otherwise you wouldn't be just roaming around out here alone."

"_Oh_." She thought. "_Maybe I was wrong. Maybe he really is just a sweet gu-_"

"Either that or you're just stupid." Breeg further observed.

Kisune just glared at him for a moment. "_Never mind, I take that back, he's a jerk._" She thought to herself. "Hey, I'm not stupid! I told you I know magic, and I'm armed!" She said, pulling her dagger out for emphasis.  
"And for your information," She continued, "the only reason I was taken captive by those bandits back there was because you distracted me with your drunken shouting!" She finished.

"Whoa there, calm down." He said, raising his hands in front of him. "You don't have to wave your knife around. And again, I was tired, not drunk." He said with finality.

She scoffed. "And again, that's just something a drunk would say, because he's ashamed of his habits. You know, if you're gonna drink, you should at least own up to it. Otherwise maybe you should just quit." She retorted.

Breeg opened his mouth to argue, but thought it would be best to drop it. "Whatever." Was all he said, dismissing the subject with a wave of his hand.

Kisune smiled to herself. "_Ha! Giving up the argument? Good, maybe having someone confront him about it will finally help him to get out of his cup and into reality!_" She thought, thinking that she must be the greatest thing to ever walk into his life.

"Anyway, you never answered my question." Breeg stated.

Kisune thought back. "Uh, what question was that?" She asked, raising a finger to her chin while she thought.

"What's your story?" Breeg repeated.

"Oh, right! Hmm..." She began to think back on her life. "Well, let's see... I guess the beginning's a good place to start." She decided. Breeg was about to say that's maybe a little too far back, but grew quite when he heard her begin her tail:

"I was first found outside of a monastery when I was very young, around five maybe, but I don't know fore sure. I had... well, actually I _have_ no memory of anything before that. All I remember is sitting outside the steps of the monastery late at night, and I was crying. Suddenly I heard the door open behind me. I turned around and saw a man standing there. He was holding a glowing crystal, and asked me what I was doing there that late at night." She said, as she began to feel nostalgia wash over her, becoming enveloped in the memory...

* * *

... Tears streamed down her face as she sat there in the blackness. She was afraid of it, but she didn't know why. Come to think of it, she didn't know anything. She didn't know what she was, or how she had gotten to where she was. She didn't even know what to call herself. All she knew was there wasn't anyone or anything around. She didn't know what to call it at the time, but she felt alone. And that's what scared her the most. She began to silently cry even harder then she had before. She tried to cry out loud, wanting to find solace in anything. A sound. A feeling. But she didn't know how, and there was nothing around her but the silent blackness, and the hardness below her. Then she laid down, trying to keep as close to the hardness she felt underneath her as possible, because it was something other than the blackness. Something to hold on to...  
She was still silently sobbing, when suddenly she saw something else appear amongst all the blackness. Her head sprang up as she looked around, searching for the source of the not-black, hoping it was something so she wouldn't be alone. And when she turned around, she saw it. Something was standing there behind her, holding something bright. Then she heard a sound. It came from the thing, but she couldn't understand it. But she knew it was something, whatever it was. Something to banish the loneliness. She reached out to him in desperation with all of her might, stretching her arms out as far as they could reach. But no matter how far she reached, she couldn't grasp onto it. Tears streamed down her face as she reached for the billowing form before her. She tried to stand, but couldn't. She wanted to scream from frustration, but didn't know how. So she just laid there, crying. Hoping whatever it was in front of her wouldn't leave, because even if she couldn't touch it, she knew it was something else... something to comfort her in her lonely world.  
But then suddenly she felt something on her head... She looked up, and the thing was leaning down to her. It made more sounds that she didn't understand, but they felt warm as they washed over her. She felt overwhelmed at the touch, and she grasped his hand, and held on for dear life. Because to her, it was life. But she suddenly felt something else wrap around her, and then she felt the hardness beneath her vanish. It frightened her, because she felt it was something to banish the loneliness. But then she felt the warmth of the thing against her body. Suddenly she knew that whatever it was, it wasn't blackness. It wasn't emptiness. So she held on to it. She held on with all the strength her little hands could find.  
Suddenly she felt herself moving. She looked, and saw things come and go in the blackness. She couldn't bare to see the blackness swallow anything, so she buried her face into the thing that held her. She stayed that way for some time, before she suddenly felt something below her again. She thought it was the hardness, but then felt that it was soft, like the thing that carried her. She was mesmerized as she felt the softness below her, but she suddenly noticed that the thing carrying her wasn't there anymore. She turned around in panic, looking for her relief from the emptiness. She saw it walking away towards the blackness, taking the bright with it. She reached out, pleading silently to not leave her alone in the black. But then it stopped and held up the brightness in his hand. Suddenly the whole room was filled with the same brightness as the one he held. At first she shielded her eyes from the dazzling brightness, but then she looked around at where she was. She gazed around the room, taking in all that was there. Soon she heard other noises. She turned her head, and saw another thing in the room. The one she had first seen and the new one were making sounds at each other, gesturing to her. She watched them for a moment, but then something caught her eye. A shiny circle on something a little ways from the softness. She reached over to it, as best she could, but couldn't quiet reach it. She leaned forward, trying to reach it, and suddenly felt the softness underneath her begin to disappear. She felt an odd sensation as it disappeared. Something invisible rushing past her face. But then suddenly she felt something stop her. She looked, and the thing was holding her again. She looked up at it. She focused on it's... face, she realized. She looked up on it's face, and things began to make sense to her. It's face had a strange look on it. One she didn't know, so she reached up to it, trying to make sense of what she saw by touching it. Then she saw the face change from one she didn't know to... a much warmer face. "_A... Smile..._" she thought. She reached up to it. "_Daddy..._" she thought. She tried to say it, but couldn't. She tried and tried again, beginning to tear up again. She felt him brush his hand against her face, wiping away her tears. "_Daddy._" She thought again. She didn't know why, but it seemed to fit the face. Suddenly something dropped on her face. She didn't know what it was, and she looked up to Daddy. She saw his eyes glistening, and tears were falling from them. Suddenly he pulled her close, and just held her. And suddenly she felt safe with Daddy holding her. So she grabbed onto him, and tried her best to hold on. And in that safety she felt something begin to overtake her, as her eyes grew heavy, she felt the warmth of Daddy against her. She listened, and heard a rhythm as she leaned against him. It gave her a calming feeling, one of safety. And suddenly, everything was quite...

Over the next few months, Daddy tried to teach her to speak. She learned quickly, wanting to learn everything she could, because she had been shown there was more to the world than black emptiness. She learned many words to describe the way she felt, and what she saw. She learned the names of everything around her, and even learned her own name. The one that Daddy gave her, anyway. He called her Kisune, and she fell in love with the name.  
But the memories continued to flood Kisune as she described growing up in the Monastery. She described how she had first used magic by accident, and then how Daddy had taught her how to use it. And how he taught her that no matter how lonely she felt, magic was around her. And if she focused, she could sense it around her, and manipulate it to her will.  
She continued like this for quite a while, describing her life in much detail as she got carried away in her memories. And Breeg listened intently to every detail. He enjoyed hearing about people's paths in life, seeing how they developed into the person he was speaking with. But he suddenly grew curious when he noticed she grew quiet as she described her departure from the Monastery. But curiosity quickly turned to concern as he saw a tear roll down her cheek as she sat there quietly.

"Kisune?" He asked with concern. She looked up and over to him. "Are you alright?" He asked as another tear rolled down her cheek.  
She began to wipe her eyes. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just... sad memories is all..."

"You miss them, huh?" He asked, leaning toward her.

She looked at him. "Yeah, something like that." She replied, beginning to regain her composure. Suddenly she turned back to him. "But yeah, that's my story." She said, sounding happier. "What about you? What did you do after you left Fairy Tail?" She asked, changing the subject.  
Breeg hesitated at the question. But just as he began to open his mouth to speak, the driver yelled from his seat "Magnolia ahead!" They looked at each other seriously, then Kisune grew excited and peered out her window. Breeg couldn't help but smile as he looked out of his own window.

"Look! There it is, Kazu!" She exclaimed. "I'm almost a Guild Wizard..." She said happily.

But Breeg barely heard her. He was looking out at his home in wonder. Then suddenly grew concerned and looked down at himself. He had grown so much over the past twelve years...

"_Will they recognize me?_" He wondered to himself as he looked down on his travel battle worn hands. He gazed out the window again. But he smiled regardless. "_Whether they do or not, it doesn't matter. I'm almost home._"

* * *

Mira stood there at the bar of the Fairy Tail Guild Hall. It had been a slow day since most of the Guild Members were out on jobs, so she had spent the better part of the day reminiscing. She thought back on all the people that had come and gone over the years. Then her thoughts fell on a small boy with a head of flaming orange hair.

"I wonder how he's doing?" She said to herself. "It's been a while since he's written us." She turned her head towards the great doors that led outside. "You know, he's gonna come back in through those doors one of these days..." She said.

"Who will?" Came a voice from off to the side. Mira looked over, and there was the Scarlet Swords Master of the Guild.

"I was just thinking about Breeg, and wondering how he's changed over the years." She said, repeating her thoughts to Erza.

Erza sighed. "I don't know if he'll ever come back, Mira. He left with a purpose to see the world and expand his skills. And there's a lot of world to see, and an infinity of ways to expand his skills. But maybe someday he'll come back to visit." She smiled to herself. "And when that day comes, I plan on testing his sword skills." She continued to smile as she walked away.

Mira looked back at her. "Well I hope he's kept up with his sword training in that case." She said, sighing to herself in amusement. She gazed out the doors once more, then went back to clearing the bar...

* * *

**See? They got to Magnolia within a few chapters. ;)**

**But yeah, they're actually getting into Magnolia AND Fairy Tail next chapter, so I hope you guys are looking forward to see what's gonna happen.**

**Anyway, review are welcome as always, and I'll see you guys next time. Cheers! ;D**


	8. Home Sweet Home

They stepped out of the cart, taking in the city in front of them. Breeg was flooded with all sorts of memories of his home town as they approached the gates. Kisune walked through the city gates with a purpose, but Breeg stopped at the threshold. He looked up to the gates, and then lowered his gaze into the city. Kisune had kept walking through, but she suddenly noticed he wasn't with her anymore. She looked around for him, and saw him standing there at the gates, wearing probably the stupidest grin she had ever seen in her life.  
She tilted her head as she watched him. "Hey, you coming, Kazu? I know the gate is fascinating and all, but we still gotta find Fairy Tail." She called to him, anxious to find the Guild Hall.  
Breeg looked over to her, and saw the rather impatient stance she was standing in. "Yeah, I'm coming." He finally called back as he walked toward her.  
They walked together through the streets. Kisune and Breeg both saw the same things as they walked through the streets, but they felt completely different things as they looked. Kisune felt wonder and excitement at all the new things she saw. But Breeg felt nostalgic as he watched the familiar scene of the vendors going about their affairs. And suddenly he noticed a stall he could never forget as they passed by. It was a humble little trinket stall, not much to look at, but it had set him on his path. He stopped in front of it, just as he had done when he was small. He remembered he had asked him for directions to somewhere he could stay. The man looked at the boy thoughtfully, and then gave him directions to a place he said would be good for a youngster like him...

"Can I help you, son?" A voice yanked him away from his nostalgia. There was a man standing in front of him in the stall. Breeg looked at the man, who was shorter than he was by a few inches. Breeg noticed how familiar he was, even though his face was now weathered with age.

"Uh..." Breeg thought for a moment. "Yes, sir. I need directions for a place to stay." He said, not sure why he asked him. He knew where the Guild Hall was.  
The man cocked an eyebrow at him. "Age get to you, boy? My directions haven't changed any from when you were younger." He stated with a serious look on his face.  
Breeg smiled. "Just wanted to make sure it hadn't caught up with you, old man." He replied.  
"Augh, I'll be in my grave before I start to forget things." He replied back. "Now, do you have any business with me, or are you just stopping up my customers?"  
Breeg shook his head. "Ever the business man. Very well, I'll take... that ring there." He said, pointing to a golden band inset with a single green jewel all the way around. The old man followed his fingers with his gaze. He picked it up and examined it. "You grow up to be rich, son? This is an expensive ring. And I hope when you said 'take' you don't mean you're not gonna pay for it." He said, looking at Breeg with mild skepticism.  
Breeg laughed."No, not quiet rich. But I work, so I have money. How much?"  
The man looked at him sceptically. "Alright then, the price is 20,000 jewel." He stated straightly.  
Breeg just looked at the man. "You're right, that is rather pricey. But still..." He said as he reached into his wallet and pulled out the Jewel. "Here. Full payment." He said as he laid the money down.  
The man picked it up, and counted it out. "Aye, full payment. Why would you want this ring anyway? It's an old wedding ring, for a woman, no less. You looking to get married soon?" He asked as he put the amount away.  
Breeg laughed again. "No, not quiet yet. But old trinkets often bring good luck, especially those that used to be precious to someone. And you can never have too much of that."  
The old vendor cocked an eyebrow at him. "Mm. Well I suppose you're right. Although I should be saving that for a certain young woman I know. She comes by every now and then and looks at it." He stated.

"Oh, well I can choose something else if this was reserved." Breeg stated, offering the ring back.  
He shook his head. "No, you're fine. I'm not sure if she even wanted to buy it, she never inquired about it." He said, shrugging his shoulders. "Alright now, you've had your business. Now shove off, you're cloggin' my lines." He said, gesturing behind Breeg.  
He glanced back, and did notice a few people were waiting. "Alright, I'll be on my way, old man. Thank you for the directions, they've been most helpful." Breeg said, smiling back. And with that, he began down the walk.

Then a young woman walked up after him, an angry look on her face. "Hey, what gives, Jugo?" She asked him.

"Not me, that's for sure, Lia." He said, leaning on his bar, looking up at her lazily.

"That is the biggest pile of crap!" She shouted. "I came here yesterday for that same ring, and you said the price was 50,000 jewel!" She glared at him.

"Well excuse me if I happen to give a random sale every now and then to people I choose. What's it to you?" He asked her simply.

"What's it to me?!" She said, trying to be calm, but not doing very well. "You saw me in line behind that guy! I know you did, because you looked at me when you mentioned me coming by to look at it! And you know for damn sure I inquire about that ring every time! Did you just sell it to him to spite me? What have I done to you?!"

"Simmer down there, Lia. I'm not the type to spite people. And I didn't look back to you, I just looked back to the line that was building, which you are only adding to." He said, straightening back up. "I don't lie either, so obviously I wasn't talking about you. And you've never done anything to me, except not pay me for it. He had the money, so I gave it to him. He still would've had the money if I had given him full price." He said.

"That's a load of crap! Did you see him? I'll bet he used all of his money on that so he could resell it at a higher price! You've been had, old man!" She yelled in his face.

"I thought I told you to simmer down. And if he does, so what? That's none of my business. And it shouldn't be any of yours either, so I suggest you let it go." He stated, glaring at her. "Now are you gonna buy somethin', or am I gonna have to call the guards?"

* * *

Kisune walked through the city streets gazing in wonder at everything she saw. She took in all the sights, the sounds, the... the delicious smells!  
She looked up to the sky, looking at the position of the sun. It was straight overhead. "_Lunch time!_" she thought, hardly containing her excitement as she thought of the food she couldn't wait to try.

"Hey Kazu!" She said as she turned around. "What say we stop somewhere to eat before we... Kazu?" She asked aloud. "Kazu!" She called his name.  
"Great! Where'd we get separated?!" She said to herself, exasperated as she continued to try and spot Kazu in the crowd. "Fat lot of good these heels are doing me." She mumbled to herself. She thought back to where she had just came from and began to retrace her steps.

Meanwhile, Breeg was walking away from Jugo's old trinket stall, examining the ring he just bought. He was turning it over in his hands, when he noticed what looked like an inscription inside the band.  
"What's this, now?" He said softly to himself. He held it closer, trying to make out the writing, but with little success. He backed the ring away from his face and turned to his companion.

"Kisune, can you rea-" He cut himself off as he noticed she wasn't there. "Kisune?" He called. And then again, louder. "Kisune! ...Great, where that girl go? She was right here a second ago..." He thought back to the last time he saw her. "Oh, she must not have noticed I stopped at the stall." He said aloud as he looked over the crowd, looking for her dark hood. He walked down a through street, thinking maybe he'd find her in the next street.

Just then Kisune rounded the corner of the opposing street, looking for Breeg. "_Great, how am I gonna find him here?_" She thought to herself. She figured the old fashioned way would work best, so she asked around, describing him to people asking if they'd seen him...

* * *

"Good lord, where could she be?!"  
Breeg was getting frustrated. He had been looking for her for a good hour now, with no success. And to round it off, he had gotten himself lost as well. He was surprised at how much the city had changed in the years he had been gone. But he didn't have time to appreciate any of it, because he was too busy trying to find his companion. "_How can someone who stands out so much be so hard to find?_" He thought to himself in wonder. Suddenly he saw her. Or, he thought it was her. She had just passed in front of the entrance to an alley on the next street over. "Okay, if that's not her, then I've been looking too long..." He grumbled to himself as he ran to the alleyway. He emerged on the other side of the alley, and began to look around. But as he turned his head to the left, he saw it. The Fairy Tail Guild Hall. He smiled as he looked at it. It hadn't changed. It was still the marvelous castle-like building he knew from years ago. But his smile faded as he remembered he had to find Kisune.

"She had better appreciate the fact I'm looking for her instead of just going to Fairy Tail without her." He said under his breath as he turned around. Suddenly his eyes locked on her. She was across the street from him, and had noticed him just as he saw her. She smiled and waved to him.

"_Good, the search is over._" He thought. He smiled in return, and was just about to raise his hand to wave when he suddenly heard someone shout something.

"Daddy!"

Breeg turned to look where it was originating from, but all he saw was a streak of bright orange rush past the edge of his vision. He kept turning, but suddenly felt his hand being grabbed and pulled along. He jolted after the person dragging him.

"Come on, daddy, we're gonna be late!" The girl said over her shoulder, running toward the Guild Hall.  
Breeg looked back at Kisune as he was being dragged along. She was just sort of staring at them in confusion, but regained her senses and ran after them.

"_Wait, is Kazu a father?_" She thought to herself. Then she looked at the young woman dragging him. "_Gosh, she's gotta be in her late teens!_" She exclaimed in her head. "_So either this is a misunderstanding, or Kazu is a lot older than he looks._"

Meanwhile, there was a man with flaming orange hair searching frantically for his seventeen year old daughter. "Dammit, why does she always do this to me?" He said aloud, aggravated. "Every time I take her to the market, ever since that first time when she was four!"  
He thought back to that time. It was her fourth birthday, and they were on their third trip to the market. The woman watching the stalls was quite the smooth talker. "_Sold us just about everything but the candles._" He recalled. Orange candles. Orange was her favorite color, after all. Always had been. Well, up until recently. Lately she had grown much more attached to green. He didn't know why, but she really loved green all of a sudden.  
He shook his head as he cleared his head. "No time for that. I have to find her!" He said, determined. He was looking around for her bright orange hair, much like his own, when he suddenly noticed a lamppost. He suddenly remembered he had seen her from up on one when she first ran off that day. "_Old ways work best, I guess._" He thought to himself, slightly amused.  
As he ran to it, he also remembered the trouble she had gotten into that day. "_That had better not be the case today._" He thought as he approached the pole. He twisted the ring on his finger, and a magic circle appeared below his feet, magically boosting him up to the top of the pole. He looked out, and saw his daughter with another man, with flaming hair like his own. Was he following her? They were both running...  
He jumped down the pole and began to dash for his daughter and the Guild Hall they were headed for, fearing the worst...

* * *

Breeg kept getting dragged along by the girl. Before he knew it they were through the Guild Hall doors. Suddenly he regained his senses and he pulled his hand out from her grasp. She stopped and turned around.

"What's up Da-" She began to ask as she turned around, but cut herself off when she saw that the man she had been dragging was not her father. A look of confusion passed over her face as she focused on his face. "You're not my father." She stated.

"No, I'm no-." Breeg said as he straightened up, but stopped. He looked at the young woman who had abducted him. He stared at her, wide eyed. She must have been around five-nine or so. She was wearing a loose red and white sleeveless shirt over a plain white mini skirt with a belt, and she wore brown boots that went almost to her knees, boosting her about an inch. "_So she's actually around five-eight,_" he thought to himself as he looked at her. She had shorter, bright orange hair, just reaching her collar bone. She had dark brown eyes, which were set in a semi-round face which looked confused.  
Breeg cleared his throat and recomposed himself. "Um... no I'm not your father." He responded. "But, maybe I can help you find him. What does he look like?" He inquired.  
The girl just looked at him. "_But he looked so much like Daddy._" She thought too herself. "_Well, from the back, anyway_."  
She compared him to her father as she looked him over. He was wearing a white button up shirt, which had been the same thing her father had been wearing, but he was wearing his open. Her father always kept his closed. He was also wearing a bright maroon shirt underneath it.  
The stranger was also wearing jeans, but her father had been wearing black pants. This guy was wearing black sneakers, but she couldn't remember what her father had been wearing.  
They also had the same hair color, which means both herself and this guy had the same hair color. A trait she got from her father. But she also noticed the styles were similar, but not exact. Her fathers was slightly more wild, but his was more laid down. Not by much, but enough to notice if you look.  
She finally looked down to his face. He had an angular face, with a somewhat sharp chin. She couldn't see his eyes under his hair very well though.

"Well... he looks an awful lot like you," She finally answered him. "He's wearing a white shirt, like yours, but it's buttoned up. And he has hair like yours. Almost exactly, only it flies out more than yours does."

"Okay, what does his face look like?" He asked further.

"His face?" She asked. "Well, like that." She said, pointing past him. Breeg turned around, but he didn't see a face. All he saw was a fist enveloping his whole vision. He tried to move to the side, but only got partially out of the way. The punch connected, and Breeg stumbled backwards, hitting a table, drawing the attention of other people in the Guild Hall. Breeg quickly unfastened his sword scabbard from his belt, and laid both it and the sword on the table. He turned around and raised his hands, ready to fight...

* * *

Mira was cleaning a glass when she suddenly heard a crash at the front of the Guild Hall. "Natsu and Gray must have gotten back from their job..." She sighed as she looked up. But then was surprised to see Loke standing there. She looked over to who he was fighting, but couldn't see very well. But suddenly someone shot up, holding a sword. She gasped, but then watched as he laid it on the table. She also noticed he hadn't even unsheathed it. She looked on, seeing if she could recognize the man Loke was fighting. And soon she did. It looked like Loke was fighting... himself? She stared in confusion for a moment, but then saw the other man's green eyes flash in the light. She covered her mouth as recognition pulsed through her. Recognition of the young boy with shining green eyes. The boy she used to sit and talk with every morning for five years. The boy who she was wondering what kind of man he had become just a few days ago... Breeg...

* * *

Breeg stood there, arms raised, prepared to fight. The other man stood there, glaring at him from under his mane of hair. "_So this is her father, huh?_" He thought to himself. "_I wonder if I can convince him it was all a misunderstanding._"  
Breeg lowered his arms slightly, and opened his mouth to speak. But the girls father suddenly threw another punch. Breeg raised his arms again, and stepped aside, pushing the man as he went. The man pushed himself up from the table he had been thrown into, and turned back around to face Breeg. They both stood there, waiting for the other to strike, when suddenly Breeg heard a familiar voice.

"Breeg!" Mira called excitedly from the other side of the room. All heads turned to see her waving to him. Breeg straightened up as she waved. He smiled, and then ran to the bar where she was. She came out from around the bar and wrapped him in a tight hug.

"Oh my gosh, you're back!" She exclaimed happily. "Oh, back up, let me look at you!" She said pulling away from him. "Who knew that little kid from years ago would grow up to be so tall!" She almost squealed as she looked up at him. "I can't believe it, you're finally home!" She smiled brightly at him. But suddenly her face turned stern. "And don't you think this visit is a little past due?" She said to him.  
Breeg looked down at her. "Yeah, maybe..." He said. "But I did write."

"Not near often enough!" She stated.

"Well, I thought it was pretty often." He said, scratching the back of his head. Mira continued to look sternly at him. But then suddenly brightened up again. "It's alright!" She said, hugging him again. "All that matters is you're home now!" She pulled away. "Now, come to the bar, and I'll fix you a drink! I've wanted to do that ever since you were little!" She said, clearly excited.

Breeg followed her over to the bar. "That sounds good, Mira." He said, smiling brightly.

Just then Kisune arrived at the Guild, panting. "I really need new shoes," she said in between breaths."I tripped twice in these stupid things." She said as she looked up. She saw Kazu standing by the door with the woman that had kidnapped him. She walked over to him. "Well, thanks for just leaving me behind!" She said prodding him in the back. "Just what do you think you're doing, running off with some random woman like that? Seems like odd behavior when you're already with a girl." She said, walking around to face him. "I know you were all excited about getting back to the Guild, but st-" She cut herself off as she looked up at Kazu, agape. "Wait, you're not Kazu!" She said, pointing accusingly. Not-Kazu just stared at her for a second. Then she heard the girl he was with speak up.

"Oh, are you friends with that other man?" She asked. "He's over by the bar." She finished, pointing. Kisune followed her gesture, and there he was, at the bar. "Gosh, of course as soon as he gets here he goes straight to the bar!" She said under her breath. She began to walk over, but she felt a finger tap her shoulder. She turned around to see the girl holding Kazu's sword. "Umm... here. Your friend left his sword over here when he ran over to Mira." Kisune took the sword from her. "Mira?" she inquired.

"The bar keep." The man replied.

"Oh. Thank you." She replied. She proceeded to walk over to the bar, about to repeat to Kazu what she had said to Not-Kazu a second ago.

"Well, thanks for just leaving me behi-"

"Oh, there you are Kisune. Where'd you go?" He asked, turning around to face her.

She opened her mouth to speak, but all that she had just said just left her mind. She just stood there for a moment with her mouth hanging opened. But finally she sighed. "... nowhere." Was all she said, feeling her little speech had gone to waste.

"Well, pull up a stool then." He said, smiling at her.

She shook her head and sighed. "_Is there any hope for you, Kazu?_" She thought to herself. But when she looked up, she could see he was smiling as he talked to the bar keep, and the other few Guild Members around him. She couldn't help smiling as she watched him. "_Well, I guess I won't hold it over his head this once._" She thought to herself...

Several hours passed as he talked with everyone, telling them stories he couldn't fit on letters. But most of all how much he had missed Fairy Tail, and all of his family. He asked where everyone else was, as there was only a small number there, but he was told they were all out on jobs.  
Soon, it grew late and everyone grew tired. Breeg was one of the last ones to get up from the bar. Mira offered him a room up stairs, which he gladly accepted. He asked for a separate room for Kisune as well, until she could find a place of her own. Mira was glad to give her a room, finding it cute how the little boy she knew had grown up to be so polite.  
Kisune had already went up stairs to her room after thanking Mira. But Breeg was heading to the foot of the stairs, when suddenly he heard someone clear their throat behind him. He stopped at the foot of the stairs. He reached over to his sword hilt as he turned around. When he did, he saw the man he had fought earlier standing in the dim light, his daughter was with him, and she wrapped her hands around her fathers arm when she saw he was grasping his sword. He noticed her action and let go. She relaxed a little, but still held on to her father. "_She must be around sixteen or so._" Breeg thought as he looked at her.

"Hello... Breeg was it?" Her father addressed him. "I would like to apologize for earlier. My daughter explained to me what happened, and I realize what I thought had happened wasn't... well, what happened." He laughed slightly. Breeg just looked at him for a moment.

"So, what do you think happened?" Breeg asked him.

The other man looked at him. "Well, I saw what _looked_ like my daughter being chased by a man who looked like me. I thought someone had made a magical clone of me, and were after my daughter. So I was... angry, to say the least." He looked down at his daughter when he said this. "But after Mira called your name, it didn't make sense for you to be a clone. Just an uncanny look alike from behind." He took a step forward, his daughter's arms sliding out from his own. "I'm sorry for earlier, and I'd like to start over." He reached his hand out to Breeg. "I'm Loke. And this is my daughter..." He trailed off as he gestured to her.

She stepped forward and smiled at him. "I'm Fararia, but you can call me Fairy, if you'd like." She said, also holding out her hand. Breeg took each hand in turn, and also flashed a smile back at Fairy. She blushed slightly when he did. Breeg noticed it as he let go of her hand.

Breeg turned back to Loke. "Good to meet you. I'm Breeg." He said, bowing slightly. "And now if you'll excuse me, I have sword practice early tomorrow."

* * *

**Hey guys! First of all, sorry for the late night postings, I know it may be frustrating at times, but I don't have much time to write until sometime after noon. Also, sorry for all the borders in this chapter, but I switched perspectives quite a bit, so they were necessary. But I'll experiment and see if I can find a different way to border to at least make it look better.  
Also, I wanted to say that uploads may grow farther apart soon, 'cause I'll have to go back to school soon, so I certainly won't have as much time to write. So even if I do keep the uploads daily, the chapters will be shorter. So we'll just see how it goes. :/  
But yeah, thanks a lot guys, it's nice writing for an audience (even if it's a small one).** **Again, reviews are welcome,** **and I hope y'all like the story. **

**Have a great day guys. Cheers! ;D**


	9. Swords at Dawn

Breeg awoke early the next day just as he had done every day for the last few years. He got up, and stretched his arms and upper joints, relishing in the feeling it gave him. After he was satisfied with how he felt, he sat on the edge of his bed and pulled on his shoes, looking out the window after he had. The sun was nowhere to be seen, but the just past full moon was low on the horizon.

"_Good, the best time to practice._" He thought to himself as he pulled his shirt on. He lashed his sword belt around him, and proceeded downstairs. He pulled his over shirt on as he reached the bottom of the stairs, then walked out back to the courtyard. He had just stepped out the door and closed it when he turned around and stopped at what he saw...

Erza...

Breeg stood there for a moment, watching his old mentor as she went through the steps of the oh, so familiar set of advanced drills. Then he stepped out of the shadows and walked towards her. Erza saw him approach, but continued regardless as Breeg continued to walked past her to one of the benches to the side of the courtyard. He drew his sword, and laid his scabbard down on it. He turned and walked back over to Erza, waiting. She continued through her sword drills as Breeg watched on, recognizing every step as she did. Finally she did the final move in the set, and Breeg walked up to her. Again, they didn't say a word to each other. But instead Breeg fell into place next to her, mirroring her stance. Erza glanced at him out the side of her vision. And then began again, Breeg following her every step. They continued through the drills in perfect rhythm, almost as thought they were dancing.  
They continued through the set of drills for several minutes, doing exactly as the other did. And then finally, the last step was finished. They both straightened up and faced each other. They just watched each other for a moment, Erza wearing her ever present stone face, and Breeg wearing a more mild expression.  
And then Erza moved. She dashed forward to Breeg, sword at the ready. Breeg was already in a defensive stance as she approached. She swung her sword from the side, but Breeg caught it high on his blade. Erza quickly pulled back and struck again, holding her sword with two hands. Breeg raised his sword and blocked. He quickly pushed her sword back, forcing her further away. Then Breeg went on the offensive. He dashed toward her, holding his sword in front of him. Erza raised her sword, ready to block. But Breeg suddenly jumped right and swung his sword on the horizontal. Erza quickly repositioned her sword to block it. She saw he left himself open with that strike, with his back mostly facing her. She quickly attacked the opening in his defenses, her sword swinging at an angle toward his neck. But Breeg was expecting this, and with speed that surprised Erza, he spun around, knocking her sword out and away from Breeg. The force had pushed her back, but not for long. She dug her feet into the ground, and sprang back at her student. Breeg watched as his master ran toward him. Just as she was close enough, he spun around her, catching her blade on his own so she couldn't swing outward toward him as she moved. They spun around to face each other. Suddenly Erza straightened up, Breeg hesitated, but then straightened up as well. She walked forward, as did he. They stopped about four feet from each other. Erza raised her sword to him, and he returned the movement.  
Then they struck. Swing for swing, blow for blow. Breeg would strike, Erza would block. Then the roles would be reversed, all the while remaining at a constant speed. They struck again and again, until Erza finally knocked Breeg's sword above his head. But instead of striking him with her sword, as he expected, she raised her foot, and kicked him in the chest, sending him staggering backwards. She jumped to strike, but Breeg pulled his sword back in between them. And when they're swords clashed, he pushed against her, sending her back through the air. She back flipped midair, and landed solidly a good few yards away. And there they stood. Erza watching him, and Breeg waiting for her to move. Then Erza reached out her hand. Breeg looked at her for a moment sceptically. Then he slowly straightened up, switching his sword to his left hand.  
But suddenly there was a light in front Erza's outstretched hand. A bright yellow light that Breeg knew well. When the light faded, Erza was holding a dagger in her hand. She flipped it around in her hand so she was grasping it by the blade. Her gaze shot up to Breeg as she raised her arm to throw the small blade. Breeg just stood there as the knife sailed through the air, coming straight for him. But before it had a chance to hit him, he leaned back and out away from the blade. But as it passed over him, he reached out with his right hand and grasped it by the blade, snatching it out of the air, again showing his speed. Then, in a fluid motion, he leaned up and put his whole upper body into throwing the dagger back in the direction of it's owner. Erza just stood there as the dagger flew past her head and buried itself in the post to the left and back of her. She raised her hand over it and it vanished in a flash of light. She looked back to Breeg and raised her sword. Breeg raised his sword and charged before she had the chance. But she charged regardless. As they passed, they thrust their swords out to each other, glancing off of the others blade. They let their momentum carry them to where the other had just been, turning, and charging again. Breeg raised his sword with both hands, putting all his momentum into his next strike. He was within striking distance, when suddenly Erza dropped and swiped her sword at his feet. His eyes grew wide, as he tried to leap out of the way, but was a tad slow. He did manage to dodge, but he failed to get his footing back after he jumped, and stumbled forward. He tried to regain the footing he had lost, but didn't get the chance as he felt something solid strike his back, knocking him forward. As he fell to the ground, he felt something land on top of him. Then a sword at the back of his neck. And finally, a voice.

"You need to practice your footwork. But you have grown surprisingly quick. Especially your reaction time." Erza said as she got up off of him. He rolled over onto his back as he looked up at her as she continued her assessment. "And your overall strength and technique have grown in the years you've been gone." She said, examining him. But suddenly she smiled as she offered a hand to her fallen student. "It's good to see you again, Breeg." He smiled in return as he took her hand. She helped him up and pulled him into an embrace. "It's good to see you to, Erza." Breeg replied, hugging her back. "I really missed you all these years." He continued.

"Obviously." She said, pulling away from him. "You kept up on your sword training, so you must have been thinking about me." She said with a smile.

Breeg laughed. "Yeah, I did ma'am. Didn't want to let you down, after all."

"I see. Well, you haven't disappointed me with your skills, I can say that." She said as she looked him over. But looked back up at his face as she continued. "But how you have disappointed me is in your battle preparation. It was rather foolish of you to fight me without armor. You would have regretted it if I had hit you back there." She said as she brought her sword up to slap him with the flat of her blade. But Breeg caught it on his own blade as he brought his arm up. "No, I think you would have been the one to regret it." He said as he smiled coyly at her.

She raised an eyebrow as he lowered his sword. She moved to strike his arm again, but slower this time. She lightly tapped him and saw a bright light as she did, feeling her sword slightly bounce away from the strike. She gazed on in almost awe. "Where did you find this armor?" She almost demanded.

Breeg grinned. "I thought you'd like it. I had it magically forged as payment for a job in the Village of the Sun. It's a small village just-"

"I know where it is." She said, dismissing what he was about to say. "But what kind of job was it that gave you such a reward?" She asked, looking him over. "There's no sign it's even there!" She exclaimed, her excitement growing.

Breeg held back a laugh as he watched his master act almost child like over his armor. "I retrieved the catalyst that they use to turn light into a tangible material from a group of marauders who had stolen it." He said. "In return, they said they would forge me anything from the last rays of the setting sun, and the first light of the rising moon. So it will constantly protect me, but only if there is a light source around. The stronger the light, the stronger the armor. Also, in raw sunlight or moonlight, the force from a blow will return back on it's source." He finished.

Erza backed away as she stopped her examination. "I must find some way to get them to forge me a set." She said thoughtfully, raising her hand under her chin.

Breeg laughed loudly. "You could just ask." He offered.

"Hush, there are others still sleeping." She said, holding a finger up to his lips, scowling.

"Sorry," Breeg said apologetically, removing her finger from his mouth.

But Erza just sighed. "Alright, it's getting later in the morning. I'm sure you haven't eaten yet?" She asked as her sword vanished in a bright light.

"Of course not. Couldn't get cramps while fighting you." He said playfully.

She smiled back at him, amused. "That's good." She said. "Mira has something prepared for you. Now let's not keep her waiting." She said as she turned him around toward the door. Breeg walked toward the door as he mounted his scabbard back on his belt and resheathed his sword.  
Breeg smiled to himself as he recalled his old routine. "No, let's not."

* * *

**Hey guys! Hope you weren't expecting Breeg to win, cause that'd be ridiculous. :P**

**But anyway, sorry if Erza didn't seem like how she is in the Anime. But this takes place like twenty years after the show, so I figured it'd be alright if I changed the characters up a little.**

**But thanks for the views guys, I really appreciate them. It's nice being able to write for someone. gives me a reason to keep writing. So thanks again, guys. :)**

**Reviews are welcome, as always. And I hope you stay with me, cause more is coming.**

**Have a great day guys! Cheers! ;D**


	10. Initiation

Kisune awoke to the sound of foot steps outside her door. She sat up in her bed, letting the covers slide off her torso and into her lap. She yawned as she heard knocking at the door.

"Come in!" She called as she finished yawning and began to rub her eyes. She turned as the door slowly swung open.

"Hey Kisune, I wasn't sure if you were up yet. But I was just talking with Mira down stairs an-" The speaker suddenly cut himself off. She looked over at him, her eyes still slightly groggy from sleep. Once the figure came into vision clearly she could see it was Breeg standing in her door way.  
She raised her arms over her head as she stretched. "Good morning, Kazu." She said, finishing stretching. She turned back to him and looked up at his face. She looked confused as she noticed his face was a bright crimson. "What's up? You don't look so well." She said, as she saw something out of the corner of her vision. When she turned to look, she saw the chair in the corner... with her clothes draped over the back. Her eyes grew wide, and she felt her own face grow warm. She quickly looked down at her self, and noticed she was less than dressed appropriately, wearing only her undergarments. She quickly covered her chest with her arms, remembering she had yet to acquire a set of night clothing since she had arrived.

"Don't just stand there staring!" She screamed at him, not looking up. "Get out!"  
Breeg suddenly regained his senses, and retreated outside, slamming the door. He just stood there for a moment staring at her door.

"Ummm..." He said through the door. "I-I'll come back later." He said, but then thought better. "Actually, I'll meet you downstairs after you get dressed. I think we'll go find you some clothes today." He said as he walked away.

"_Geez, now she probably thinks I really am some kind of womanizer._" He thought to himself as he began to descend the stairs.

But Kisune just sat there on her bed, too embarrassed to do or think anything, other than about what just happened. But she finally stood up and walked over to her clothes, getting dressed as quickly as possible. "Okay, I'm locking my door every night from now on!" She said through gritted teeth. Finally she opened her door and walked out, pretending as though nothing happened.  
She walked downstairs and looked around for Kazu. She saw him swirling a drink in his hand at the bar.

"Really? Drinking as soon as you get up?" She said, approaching him. "There has to be a healthier way to start the morning." She scolded him.  
Breeg jumped when he heard her voice, sloshing the contents of his drink onto the stone bar. He turned to face her, his face still slightly red. "Kisune!" He exclaimed, but quickly calmed down a bit. "Umm... listen, about while ago-"  
She cut him off by raising her hand. "Never mind about that." She said, dismissing what he was about to say. "Now what were you saying about Mira?" She asked.

"Oh, Breeg was just telling me about how you wanted to join Fairy Tail!" Mira said as she walked up from across the bar.

"Yeah, I was telling her how you were a ring magician, and Mira told me that there are two ring magicians in the guild, and we both met them yesterday." He said, turning back to Mira. "Although I don't see how they could have been a part of the Guild all the time I was here when I was younger and had never met them before, like you said, Mira." He stated.

"Oh, they were on leave for awhile." She said. "They took a break from the guild a few months before you arrived, and returned about when you left." She said. "Actually, it was just a few days later."

"Wait, is that when all the hullabaloo was happening about Ryoko the day I left?" He asked.

Mira nodded. "Yep, that was the day! I remember seeing little Fairy walk in with the rest of the team, and she looked almost exactly like you did when you first walked in five years before." She said as she leaned on her elbows, caught up in the memory.

"Wait, who are we talking about now?" Kisune asked, pulling Mira from her thoughts. "Oh! Sorry, we're talking about Loke and Fairy. Loke's the one that looks a lot like Breeg, and Fairy is his daughter."

"You mean Not-Kazu? Him and his daughter use Ring Magic?" She asked.

But Mira just looked at her strangely. "... 'Not-Kazu?" She inquired, puzzled.

Breeg sighed. "Kazu is just a nickname that she gave me when we first met."

"Awwwwweee!" Mira exclaimed. "I always love it when couples give each other cute nicknames!"  
Breeg and Kisune's heads both shot up. "Couple?!" They both exclaimed at once.

"Uh-huh!" Mira said, smiling. "What's your nickname for her, Breeg?"

"We're not a couple!" Kisune stated, ignoring what Mira had just said.

"Yeah, you've got it wrong, Mira. We're not together, I just saved her while she was on the road!" Breeg tried to explain.

"Yeah, what he said!" Kisune agreed. "There's no way I would date a drunk like him!" She finished.

"Drunk?" Mira asked.

"I told you, I wasn't drunk!" He said, turning to yell at Kisune.

"Uh huh, that's just what a drunk would say!" She said, yelling back.

"I was tired! I had had a long night!" Breeg continued.

"Yeah, I'll bet you did. And speaking of that, I told you to keep your distance." She said as she backed up a little.

"And I told you, not that kind of night either! I had been running all night to *hic*-" He was interrupted by a hiccup. "See what you did? Now I've got hiccups!" He said, hiccuping again.

"Yeah, that's from you drinking." She said, crossing her arms. "So don't even try and pin it on me!"

Breeg opened his mouth, but instead of a retort, he hiccuped. He just sat there for a second, but then closed his mouth as he turned to a giggling Mira. She kept giggling for a bit, but finally straightened back up. "Anyway, getting back to the original subject of the conversation... Kisune, you want to join Fairy Tail, right?

Kisune immediately got excited. "Yeah, of course I do!" She exclaimed excitedly.

"Alright, then." Mira said as she got up from where she leaned. "Breeg, I assign you as her trainer." She concluded.

Breeg's drink sprayed out onto the bar as he spit out the dark contents. "What?!" He asked in exclamation. "Mira, I'm not even a member of the Guild! I can't train her!"

"Oh hush." Mira chastised him. "You just don't have a mark. As far as everyone is concerned, you are just as much a member of this Guild as everyone else." She said, smiling at him.

Breeg returned the smile. "I'm glad that hasn't changed over the years." He said to her gladly.

"Of course it hasn't!" Mira said enthusiastically. "Family leaves sometimes, but that doesn't mean they're not family anymore. Even if they don't write as often as you'd like." She gave Breeg a look as she said that last part. "But anyway, you better get going with Kisune's training." Mira said, giving Breeg a wink.

Breeg sighed as looked down sadly at his spilled drink. "_I didn't even get to enjoy my coffee..._" He thought in disappointment.

"Yeah, come on, Kazu!" She exclaimed in excitement.

Breeg turned back to her. "Alright then, grab everything you think you'll need if you haven't already, and meet me outside." Breeg told her.

"Yes sir!" She said as she ran upstairs, saying "Omigosh, ohmigosh, ohmigosh!" All the way to her room.

Breeg waited until he heard her room door close, then leaned over to Mira. "You know, I think I'm too nice to properly 'train' her..." He said, lowly.

"Nonsense. I remember the little devil you used to be." She said, winking back at him. "Old habits die hard."

Breeg sighed. "Alright, I'll do my best." He said, gulping down the last of his coffee as he stood up. "Wish me luck." He said as he walked to the door.

"You don't need it, 'Sensei'." Mira said sarcastically to his back.

Breeg let a grin crawl across his face as he laughed mentally. "No... no, I don't..."

* * *

**Hey guys!**

**... I can't think of much to say, so I guess that's it...**

**Oh! There may not be an upload tomorrow... Later today rather... Because I'm gonna be busy with stuff, and I don't know when/if I'm gonna have a chance to write. But hopefully I'll find time.**

**But yeah, thanks for the views so far, and reviews are always welcome.**

**Have a great day guys! Cheers! ;D**


	11. Training

"Alright, where do we begin?" Kisune asked as they stepped out of the Guild. She was determined to do whatever it took to join Fairy Tail.

"We begin, by you standing here and waiting until I get back." Breeg instructed her. "When I do get back, I'll tell you what you have to do." He said, beginning to walk away.

"Is there anything I need to do while I wait?" She asked, anxious to start.

Breeg stopped in his tracks and stood there for a second with his back to her. She couldn't see, but he was grinning to himself as he stood there. But there was no trace of it as he turned back around to face her. "Actually, now that you mention it, there is." He said as he walked back. "You have to stand in this position." He said as he demonstrated. He lifted his right foot and placed it on the side of his left knee. Then he raised both arms over his head, clasping his hands together at the end of arms reach.  
Kisune got into position, but had to struggle to keep balance. She almost fell over several times before she finally got to a point where she could stand pretty easily.

"And the point of this is...?" Kisune asked as she tried to concentrate on keeping balanced.

"It's just a drill that every new member has to run through." He replied. "You'll have to do it later as a test of endurance and patience, so it'll be good to get some practice in now."

"Oh." Kisune said, understanding. Breeg began to walk away again as Kisune almost lost balance. "But, can I at least lean against something?" She called as she straightened back up.

"No, that'd defeat the purpose." Breeg called back over his shoulder. "Don't worry, I shouldn't be gone long." He assured her.  
"_Not too long, that is._" He thought to himself with a smirk.

* * *

"Finally! I've been standing here like this for almost two hours!" Kisune exclaimed rather grumpily.

Breeg took his time walking back up to where Kisune stood. "Oh, has it been that long? It didn't seem like it to me. Sorry about that." He said apologetically.

"Yeah well, it has." She said as she began to let her right foot back down. "Ooh, now my leg's stiff." She complained as she put her arms down.

"Mhm, better get used to it. The drill you have to do later will be much longer." He responded. "But anyway, I had Mira cast a spell on several small objects I hid somewhere in the city. What you have to do is run through the city and try to find them."

"What?!" She exclaimed, looking up from where she was sitting and rubbing her leg. "How small are we talking about? How many are there? And how am I supposed to track them?!"

"They're about this big," he held his index finger and thumb apart about two inches, "and you'll be able to track them, because the spell Mira cast on them gives a unique magical feeling. Don't worry, you'll know when you're near. And as for how many, you'll just have to look until you don't feel anymore." He finished.

Kisune sighed."Okay, when do I start looking?" she asked as she continued to rub her leg.

"Now. Go." Breeg stated.

"What?! But I'm still sore!" She complained.

"Yep. Go." He replied.

"Can't I do it after my leg feels a little better?" She reasoned.

"Nope. Go." He said, losing patience.

"But-" She tried to continue.

"GO!" He finally shouted.

When he yelled she jumped up and ran down into the city, grumbling all the way.

* * *

Several hours had passed, and Kisune was on her tenth trip back into the city, retrieving the statues Breeg had hidden.

"_I've already retrieved nine of them!_" She screamed into her head. "_How many more can there be?!_"

Meanwhile, Breeg was leaning against the side of the Guild Hall, watching her go and looking at the nine small statues all in a row on the table in front of him, grinning in amusement. "I'll let her go to twelve, then stop. Maybe." He snickered to himself.

"I wonder if she'll have it figured out by then?" He said to himself quietly. "I wouldn't put it past her."

"Put it past who?"

Breeg turned toward the Guild Hall doors and saw Lisanna walking towards him.  
He turned back to the city and nodded towards it. "Kisune." He replied, turning back to Lisanna, who had leaned up against the wall next to him. "I'm putting her through 'training', Mira's orders." He said, amused.

"Oh, are they now? You can't tell me you don't enjoy it. Especially after we tried to pull it on you when you joined." She said, nudging him in the ribs with her elbow.

Breeg laughed. "Yeah, it is pretty fun. What was more fun was getting you all back later after I found out." He said, nudging her back.

Lisanna kinda grimaced. "Yeah... 'fun'." She trailed off.

"Oh, it wasn't that bad." Breeg said, laughing.

"Yeah, right. No one trusted anything after you started with the booby traps." She replied.

Breeg laughed harder. "That was the best part! Especially since I only laid those first few, and I just watched everyone be paranoid for a week after."

"Yeah, you were an evil little trickster back then." She replied, shaking her head. She looked back out to the city. "Speaking of that, what are you having her do?"

"I told her I hid several small objects somewhere in the city with a unique magical feel to them, and she had to track them all down and bring them to me." He said as he laughed slightly.

"How many has she found?"

"Nine." He replied, still chuckling.

"And how many more are there hidden?" She asked.

Breeg chuckled. "Actually," he said as he pulled a small statue from his pocket separate from the other nine. "This little guy is about to be fifteen." He said as he stood up.

"Really? That's mean." She said, putting her hands on her hips.

"Yeah, but she hasn't given up, and she's hardly complained. She's dedicated to joining the Guild." He said, with a hint of pride in his voice.  
He was about to run into the city and hide the next one, when Lisanna stopped him. "Breeg, hold on for a minute." She said as she sat down at the table. "Come here." She said with a serious, and somewhat sad tone.  
Breeg hesitated, wondering if something was wrong, but then sat down. "Are you alright, Lisanna?" He asked, feeling concerned for his friend.

Lisanna turned to him. "Yes, I'm fine. But... I wanted to ask you something."

Breeg looked at her with a quizzical look on his face. "What is it?"

"... Are you going to leave us again?" She asked him with a downcast expression.  
Breeg was taken back by her asking it. No one had yet, but he never realized it until just then. But before he had a chance to answer, Lisanna began to speak again.

"Because you know, no one really wants you to leave and be gone again for years. We all really missed you while you were gone. We all loved to hear from you, but we really missed you. Especially Erza. You may not think so, but she was really sad when you left..."

"Lisanna..." Breeg started to say, but Lisanna continued.

"We missed watching you grow into the man you are now. Although I suppose you would be a lot different if you had stayed, huh?'  
'But still, we all wondered where you would go, what you had seen, and all the things you had done. There was that time when your letters got really far apart from each other about two years after you left, and we were all worried for you. Some of us thought maybe you were eventually gonna stop writing and just leave us." Lisanna laughed. "But you didn't. I remember how brightly Mira smiled when she looked through the mail and found a letter only about two and a half weeks after your last one-"

"Lisanna." Breeg tried to interrupt her.

"-And after that the letters started to come once a month. Sometimes twice." She continued, not hearing him. "And it was even better when you walked through the doors a week ago and we finally got to see the man you had grown into-"

"Lisannnnnaaaa?" Breeg said, almost tempted to wave a hand in front of her face.

"-And now you're home, but we don't know if you're leaving again. And if you are, when." She continued, starting to sound tearful. "I mean, I've talked to several people, and none of them know if you plan on staying 'cause you haven't said, and now we're all worried you're gonna leave again, and we don't know if you'll come back next time!"

"Lisanna!" Breeg shouted, grabbing her by the shoulders and turning to face him. "Calm down."  
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a sheet of paper and gave it to her.

"What's this?" Lisanna asked as she took it from him. Breeg didn't answer, and instead let her open it. When Lisanna did, she grew wide eyed and turned it to face him.

"This job is worth 12,000,000 Jewel?!" She asked, astonished.

Breeg looked surprised as he turned his head, and noticed she was holding an S-Class job flyer.

"Oh, whoops." Breeg said as he reached into his pocket. "Wrong paper." He took that one from her and handed her the one he meant to. "I was gonna ask Erza if she wanted to take that job with me." He explained.

"Oh. I didn't realize you had grown that stro-" She stopped short as she unfolded the paper and looked at the contents. She looked up at him, a hopeful look on her face.

"Breeg... is this a housing listing?" She asked him.

Breeg smiled at her. "That's exactly what it is. I'm going tomorrow to rent an apartment in a building by the canal." He said, taking the paper back and putting it back into his pocket. "I'm not going anywhere for awhile."

Lisanna smiled widely at him, and then pulled him into a hug, which he returned. She leaned back with tears in her eyes. "Oh my gosh, I'm so glad you're staying!" She said, clearly excited. "You can go on jobs with us, and we'll get to see what you can do, and... and...!" But she was too excited to finish the sentence. Instead she just covered her mouth as she squealed, turning toward the city.  
But then suddenly something else occurred to her. She turned back to him. "But what about Kisune?"

Breeg smiled. "Oh, I couldn't forget about her. We're staying together."

Lisanna kinda blushed in surprise when he said that. "Oh... I didn't think you two were that seriously in a relationship..."

Breeg grew wide eyed. "I meant in the same building, not together!" He said, trying to explain. "We're not together, seriously or just casually!"  
But then realized something. "Wait a minute, why does everyone think we're together? We don't even act like a couple."

"Oh. I dunno, I think it's because you both seem close. Even when you're arguing, it seems like it's in endearment. But I guess not." She said, contemplating.

Breeg just sighed and looked out into the city. "Well, speak of the devil..." He said as he spotted a figure running down the street toward them.

"Here!" Kisune panted, handing Breeg another statue. "Any more?"

Breeg placed the newest one in line with the others, taking his time to perfectly adjust it in the line of the other nine. Finally satisfied, he looked over to Lisanna and kinda smirked. "Yep, there's still more." He said, turning back to Kisune.

"Augh! How many more?!" She exclaimed in anguish.

"That would be telling, wouldn't it?" Breeg said playfully. "Now get going."

Kisune just glared at Breeg before turning back to run into the city.

"Wait, aren't you gonna tell her about the apartment?" Lisanna asked.

"Nah, I'll save that til she starts to get really mad." Breeg said with a laugh. "Now if you'll excuse me Lisanna, I've got a few more statues to hide." He said to her with a wink as he ran a different direction into the city.

* * *

**Hey Guys! So sorry about not uploading yesterday. I had a project all day, and didn't get back home 'til early this morning.**

**Also, I start school tomorrow so uploads won't be coming as often. But I do hope for at the absolute, rock bottom least once a week.**

**But yeah, thanks for the support guys. Thank you all for the views, and reviews are welcome.**

**Alright, have a great day guys. Cheers! ;D**


	12. Lunch with New Friends

Kisune ran back through the city, trying to feel for more of the statues through the city. She was looking for the seventeenth one, even though she could swear the last one had been seventeen.  
Suddenly she felt the statue somewhat close by. She ran in it's direction and found it stuck in the crack of a wall. She looked around and found herself in the market place, near a stall selling bread. She looked up to the sky and saw the sun was a little past midday.

"_I haven't even had a chance to stop and eat._" She realized as she looked back to the bread stall. She browsed through the different loaves until she found a palm sized bun. She was about to take a bite when she got an idea. She looked around but couldn't find what she was looking for. So she walked through the market and eventually sighted the stall she wanted to find. She walked over to the meat vendor and bought a small slow roasted cut mildly seasoned with salt and rosemary to place inside her bread. She also bought some peppered cheese from the stall next door, then found a vegetable vendor two stalls down. She bought some fresh greens to place in it as well, and finally added a sweet sauce to garnish it.  
It had taken a good few minutes to gather everything she needed, and the sandwich was looking better with each addition. Kisune was almost drooling over it as she finished putting the sauce on. And she was just about to take a bite out of it as she turned around to head to the Guild Hall... when she ran into someone with an 'oof'. She gazed on in dismay and almost horror as her sandwich flew from her hand and headed towards the ground. She was about to dive for it, when suddenly a hand caught it as best as it could, considering it was coming apart in mid air. Kisune looked up to see the savior of her lunch, and recognized the face of Not-Kazu's daughter.

"_Fairy?_" Kisune thought to herself. "_Was that her name?_"

"Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry!" Fairy said as she offered the sandwich to Kisune. "I wasn't watching where I was going."

Kisune reached out and took the sandwich from her. "No, it's my fault. I was too engrossed in my lunch to look where I was going. I haven't had the chance to eat today." She explained as she straightened her food.

"No, I was distracted. I had something on my mind." Fairy said, trying to assure her.

Kisune looked at Fairy and realized it wasn't going to go anywhere just arguing. "Alright, I see we're not going to go anywhere by trying to take the blame, so how about it's both of our faults." Kisune said with a smile. "But anyway, I saw you at the Guild Hall when we first arrived, but we were never introduced. My name's Kisune." She said, holding out her hand.

Fairy smiled as she reached out to take her hand, but stopped. She looked down at her hand, and when Kisune looked down herself she could see that the sauce had gotten all over Fairy's hand.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Kisune apologized.

Fairy just looked up and smiled at her. "No, it's fine. It'll clean off easily enough." She said as she reached into her pocket and pulled out a handkerchief.

Kisune stopped her short though. "Oh, let me. It'd be a waste to use such a nice handkerchief on something like this." She said, taking Fairy's hand.

"No, that's alright, it's fine." Fairy insisted.

"Nonsense, it's the least I can do for you saving my lunch." Kisune said with a wink. "Now hold out your hand." Fairy did so, and Kisune twisted the ring around her right middle finger and activated a magic circle over Fairy's hand, which water poured from. Fairy took her own handkerchief out and scrubbed Fairy's hand until there was no trace of the garnish on it.  
As soon as she was done, Kisune magically dried her handkerchief and put it away. She looked up to Fairy, and noticed a look of held back excitement on her face.

"What?" She asked, somewhat puzzled.

"You're a ring mage too?" Fairy asked, clearly excited now.

Then suddenly Kisune remembered what Mira had said. "Oh yeah, Mira said you're a ring magician!" She said, her own excitement growing.

Fairy nodded. "Yeah, me and my father are. And up until now, we've been the only ones. I'm Fairy, by the way." She said, remembering she hadn't introduced herself yet, holding out her hand.

Kisune took it gladly. "Glad to meet you." She said with a smile. "But you can't say 'up until now'. I'm not a member yet."

"Oh?" Fairy looked puzzled. "Have you not gone to get your symbol from Mira?"

"No, she told me I had to train a little under Kazu first." Kisue replied.

"Kazu? Is that what your friends name is? I thought it was Breeg." Fairy said with a contemplative look on her face.

"Oh, it is his name." Kisune explained. "Breeg, anyway. I just call him Kazu because I just thought that fit him when we first met."

"Oh, I see." Fairy replied. "How did you two meet, anyway?"

"Oh, it's a fairly long story." Kisune told her.

"I don't mind. I don't have anything to do." Fairy said with a smile.

Kisune gave her a sideways smile. "Alright then. Well, it was only a few miles west of here when I was attacked by some bandits..."  
Kisune began to retell the events of chapters four and five to Fairy as they walked and talked around the market place. She told her how fast he moved, his dust cloud tactic, how strong he was, and even his magic armor. And even how he had broken Kayman's scimitar with his own sword.  
Fairy listened in awe, trying to interrupt as little as possible, but couldn't help it when she heard something fantastic and she just had to comment on it. But as Kisune wrapped up her story, Fairy just listened. She couldn't believe how skilled he was, especially since he could do all that without the aid of magic.

"That's just amazing." Fairy finally said. "He's definitely Erza's student."

"Mm. I've heard a lot about Erza since I've been here, but I've never seen her fight." Kisune replied. "I'd like to see how they'd do in a match."

"Yeah, me too!" Fairy said. "That'd probably be really exciting!"

"Yeah, maybe we ought to see if they w-" Kisune stopped as she looked to the ground ahead.

"What is it?" Fairy asked, concern in her voice. Kisune didn't respond right away. Instead she looked up to the sky behind her and saw the sun was getting ready to set.

"Oh my gosh, it's really late!" She exclaimed, turning back to Fairy. "We'd better head back to the Guild-" She stopped as she looked ahead. "-Hall. Oh, we're here." She said, surprised they had just walked back. She looked out, and there was Breeg, leaning against the wall, waiting for her.

They continued their approach to the Guild Hall. And when they finally approached Breeg, she set the statue down with the others.

"Took you long enough." Breeg said, leaning down to place the newest statue in line with the others. "I was about to go look for you." He turned to Fairy. "But I see it wasn't needed. Hi, Fairy." He addressed her as he stood up from where he was leaning and gathered up the other statues.

"Oh, hello." She replied to him, trying to imagine the man before her doing all the things Kisune said he had done. Also looking for any sign of the armor he was supposedly wearing.

Kisune watched him as he continued to gather the statues. "So... is that all of them? Did I pass?"

Breeg just waved his hand as he gathered them up. "Yeah, yeah. Flying colors."

Kisune was excited. She had passed her training, and was soon gonna be a Guild Member. "_But I wonder what this had to do with joining the Guild, anyway?_" She thought to herself. But she was pulled away from her thoughts as she heard Fairy call to her. "Kisune, come one! I want to ask you about your ring magic!" She said from the door. "Bye Kaz... I mean Breeg!" She said as she quickly ducked back inside, red in the face.

Breeg stood up and turned to Kisune. "Was she about to call me Kazu?" He asked her, placing a fist on his hip.

"Ummm... maybe?" Kisune replied, inching toward the door. She was just about to duck through it when Breeg called her back.

"Hold on, Kisune. I wanted to talk to you about something." Breeg said, beckoning her back over.

"...Like what?" Kisune asked, trying to read his face.

He sat down at the table, and gestured for her to do that same. After she had he began. "Kisune, I've decided to stay here in Magnolia, at least for a while. And since you're joining the Guild, I assume you are too. So I found an apartment building that we can stay at." Here Breeg noticed an alarmed look on her face. "In _separate_ rooms." He continued, rolling his eyes. "They're a good price at 70,000 Jewel a month, and they're by the canal. Very close to the Guild, so we won't have to go far to find work." He said, pulling out the paper he had shown to Lisanna earlier in the day.

Kisune took it and looked it over. "But wait, why are you concerned with being close to the Guild? I can see for visiting purposes, but you're not a wizard, so why would you take their jobs?" She asked.

"I'm basically an honorary Guild member, and a mercenary. So I can go on teams if I'm invited or I ask, and I can take jobs myself." He explained simply. "Now, we're going to the apartment buildings tomorrow, so make sure you're up at sunrise. After that, you can do what you want for the day."

"Okay, sounds like a plan. I needed to go shopping anyway." She said as she was getting up. "Alright, I'll see you at sunrise, Kazu." She said, waving as she walked to the door. But she stopped just before she went to enter the doors and turned to Breeg. "Wait... What about the drill I have to do?"

Breeg looked over to her. "Don't worry, Mira will tell you when. But don't ask her about it, she'll just tell you."

"Oh, alright." Kisune responded. Suddenly she heard Fairy from inside. "Come on, Kisune!"

"Coming!" She returned. She was about to walk through thr door when she heard Breeg mumble something. She leaned back out the door. "What was that, Kazu?"

"I said don't stay up too late talking. Remember, sunrise. Otherwise, you had better have memorized the address on that flier." He said as he took a sip of the drink he was holding.

"Got it." She replied seriously. "Sunrise."

Breeg watched her disappear through the door, and then turned back to watching the sun on it's downward decent. He watched it not saying a word for a good few minutes as it sank lower and lower. Soon it was disappearing under the horizon. And with the last rays of the sun, he raised his tankard to his lips and mumbled something into his drink. A single word:

"... Someday."

* * *

**Hey guys!**

**Like I said, I started school so uploads are gonna be a bit farther apart. I'm hoping twice a week, but we'll see.**

**Also, this chapter may get added on to/changed slightly, depending on the next chapter. I was originally gonna make this chapter a lot longer, but this seemed like a decent place to stop for now. So we'll see if I'm able to write enough of a decent next chapter to justify it getting it's own chapter. If not, I'll just update this one and add what I need to.**

**But yeah, thank you all so much for the views. I hope you'll stay with me for the duration, guys.**

**Have a great day! Cheers! ;D**


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